I love where I live. Our valley gets rather soggy in
the winter and stays that way through spring, but the soil is rich and
great for gardening. We are fortunate to be next to a rhubarb farm,
which is still holding out against the developers.Spring is usually cloudy, but occasionally we luck out with a warm and sunny day. |
Once summer finally arrives in July, we can usually
count on sunny skies. But even then our maximum average temperature
is only 80F. Corn does well here, and tomatoes do too (if you pick the
right varieties), but I have to use cloches if I want to grow heat
lovers like melons and peppers.
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Vegetables can be a treat for the eyes, as well as the
palate. This is my favorite pole bean, Trionfo, with striking leaves,
lavender-pink flowers, and purple beans. Incidentally, they also taste
delicious!
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If you've never grown fresh basil, you owe it to yourself.
Basil is incredibly easy to grow from seed, and its fresh flavor is
incredible. Fresh basil is so much better than its dried counterpart,
probably moreso than any other herb. Plus it makes a nice ornamental!
The variety in the front is Purple Ruffles; in the back are Genovese
and Mammoth.
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Once lettuce starts to run to seed, it is worthless for
eating. Normally I rip it out at that point, but for some reason I left
this in the ground. Look how pretty it is!
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I read all sorts of advice on childrens' gardens: what
kids like, what kids don't like, and so on. I followed the advice for
two years, and failed miserably. When I finally let my daughter decide
what she wanted to grow, though, she became a gardener!
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So much for the veggies. Want to see my flower gardens (such as they are)?
All contents © Travis Saling
This page was last updated
November 18, 2013