Before I continue, I'd like to take a moment to mourn the loss of several neighbours and a moulting squirrel. All entered my garden in the month of July. Not a one of them have been seen since.
I should point out this isn't quite as alarming as it sounds because all of the neighbours were really quite small. Freakishly small. They were probably allowed to drink coffee as small children or something.
So anyhow, in a sly display of irony ... my garden ate them. I'm sure it never could have taken down a full sized adult. Not a healthy one anyway.
I may find one or two of the missing in the sweet potato patch when I dig it up on October, but it's a long shot.
Luckily I had some time off last month so I had a bit of time to train it. The garden is slightly more well behaved now.
Not a whole lot is different from last year other than a few experimental vegetables including ground cherries, cape gooseberries and a mouse melon.
I think I did a better job of it visually this year. I made it a bit more balanced and allowed for slightly more negative space.
Left side of the yard
I flanked the porch with my favourite of favourites the Dinosaur Kale. They're the leaf eating type of dinosaurs, so they'd never hurt a fly let alone a moulting squirrel. I also hid a couple of kales in another area of the garden so I wouldn't have to completely decimate the kale by the front porch. It looks too pretty. I do eat it, but it's hard to tell because it's so big and there are other kale plants I take from throughout the garden.
Centre of the yard
The space in front of the kale is where I've already harvested cauliflower. I've now planted beets there for a wintertime harvest.
Right side of the yard.
Jalapeño Peppers for Jalapeño Poppers.
9 foot tall "Dinnerplate Beefsteak" tomato
The tomatoes are the size of an elephant's foot ... they'll be getting a post of their own later.
3 varieties of green beans run up the porch post and swag over to meet the huge tomato plant, framing the pots of herbs on the railing.
(Scarlet Runner, Lazy Housewife, French Pole beans)
This is the experimental patch. One Ground Cherry plant and one Cape Gooseberry. I've been harvesting Ground Cherries for over a month now and I love them. They have an odd taste like nothing you've ever had before. Sort of a cross between a tomato and a pineapple. Tropical tasting. People have definite opinions on the taste. Not always favourable. But those people are stupid.
Ground Cherries are toxic while they're green and on the plant so if you come across them DON'T pick them. They're called ground cherries because when they're ripe, they fall to the ground. The yellow one in the background that you see is close to being ripe and falling off.
Two squash plants. One acorn, one Delicata.
Something happened with the potatoes this year. Everything beyond the hydrangea is potatoes. They're huge and I have high hopes for my harvest. This is one of 5 potato patches in the garden. I've already harvested many small, red fingerling potatoes and they're GREAT.
Herb plot. The tall grassy stuff is lemongrass. Then there's sage, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, lime basil, regular parsley, Italian parsley and more.
The tiny beet seedlings which will grow up to be my winter harvest.
In a few months those tiny beets will look like this beet which I planted in May.
Yet again I planted far too many tomato plants. Especially when you consider I don't really love tomatoes.
I do, however, love growing them.
This is last year's favourite, Green Zebra, which is green when ripe, but tastes like a red tomato.
It's zingy.
These are Fargo Yellow Pear tomatoes which I also grew last year.
These ones I grew by accident. They just popped up and I didn't have the heart to pull the plant out.
Besides, these are the tomatoes I let grow on the opposite side of my fence so they're the ones the neighbours and kids pick from on their way to school.
Behold ... the exceptionally bad picture of my FIG!
Yes. This year I invested in a fig tree. And this year it shall produce one fig. Maybe.
From left to right, top to bottom.
1. Bright Lights Swiss Chard 2. Zapotec tomato 3. Early Wonder beets
4. Celery 5. Delicata squash 6. Swiss chard
1. Sweet Baby Girl cherry tomatoes (in hanging basket) 2. Red chile peppers 3. English cucumbers growing along fence.
1. Mouse melon (failure for me) 2. Variety of lettuces 3. Portulaca
4. Dragon carrots
Oh! And by the way, Canadian Gardening was here 2 weeks ago photographing my vegetable garden for an upcoming issue. Want proof? Here's the photographer Donna Griffith and her assistant.
Sadly, neither one of them have been seen since.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Rondina
The front yard looks great and yummy. Your right about the neatness of the garden compared to last year.
Diane A.
Love your front yard garden...I planted 5 4' x 8' raised beds (in late May because my hubby didn't get them finished and installed till then). Normally the garden would have been planted earlier, however we actually had a very late freeze the second week in May so it worked out for the best. My tomatoes are amazing...likewise the muskmelons and peppers, zucchini, yellow squash. The cukes produced like crazy, BUT, I'm not happy with the variety I chose - too fat and yellowish. Maybe I'll try English cucumbers next year. The watermelon are still not ready and the bugs did in the cauliflower. I did get some broccoli, but not very happy with the speed it all came in - feast or famine! You're inspiring me to try heirloom and/or unusual varieties next year. Oh, my 2 newly planted fig trees have a total of six (6) figs - HA!
toekneetoni
very very impressive!
Linda
Your garden looks great Karen! I was in your pretty town yesterday and surprised how dry it was there. I guess you missed some of our downpours. I hope you'll try the mouse melons again next year-you'll love them.
Karen
Hi Linda! You should have come to visit. I'm not sure if it's typical or not but my ground cherry plant has a wingspan of about 7 or 8 feet! It's enormous! ~ karen
Wilma
It's a beautiful garden. Something my garden with its huge flopping green bean plants/bushes, out of control tomatoes & sprawling squash forests can only dream of being. Sigh. I need to do some wrangling. Anyway, ground cherries! I remember my grandmother making ground cherry pie that was to die for, and I still crave it. Top & bottom crust, thickened, sweetened cherry filling. A certain somebody's father might argue that it's not a real pie, but it's quite delicious anyway. Need to plant ground cherries!
Karen
LOL, THAT would definitely not be a true pie. ~ karen
nicole
oh my goodness Karen, i am so jealous.
my veggie garden was a total flop this year... soooo disappointing!
my neighbours planted this crazy high grass that is now approx. 12 feet tall, and hangs over the fence, putting my ENTIRE garden in the shade 24/7. so far i have six tomatoes that are ALLLLMOSTTTT the size of a regular cherry tomato... and one cucumber that looks like it might be ready to be picked in about 2 weeks. haha.... sooo disappointing.
also, a bunny ate my dinosaur Kale, my beans, and my pepper plants...
Karen
Nicole - That's awful. Two words of advice. 1. Cut down your neighbours grass and blame it on the bunny. 2. If you try again next year use floating row covers over your kale, beans and pepper plants until they're big enough to fend for themselves. ~ karen!
nicole
thanks karen! will do! I CANNOT WAIT to get a house of my own (as opposed to renting) so i can put more planning/time/$$ into a real good garden set-up... its hard to have an "ideal" garden when you're renting...
next time, i'm thinking raised beds, bunny fences/row covers galore, a drip irrigation system, THE WORKS! ... just have to buy the right house first. haha!
as, always, thank you for your inspiration.
Bethany Jones
The lost neighbors could probably be found rolling around in the grass under the shade of a tomato. That's where I would be...it all looks gorgeous!
Marilyn
Amazing!
Ann
Your garden is gorgeous. And what productivity. I am so pleased with how you can take a small front yard and turn it into something that provides not only food, but beauty. And allowing children to pick fresh tomatoes from outside the fence may just hook 1 or 2 children into being gardeners later in their lives. Or at least, help them to enjoy eating healthier food.
Your fig tree will get a slow start. Even mine here in south Tennessee has taken it's time. And pretty much all varieties of figs will die back to the ground if the winter temps fall below 10 degrees fahrenheit. I almost wish I had planted mine in a pot that could be moved into the garage come winter. But so far, we have had a few milder winters in a row and my tree has not died back in 2 whole years. And it is covered in figs this year. Which struggle to ripen up before our first frost. But even one really ripe, fresh fig is enough to justify having a tree in your very own yard.
Brian
Looking good Karen! I have one upside down tomato plant. My dad purchased it for me! Never seen one before! Glad to see you back! :)
Karen
Thanks Brian! ~ karen
SueSchneid22
Love love love the way your garden looks and the way it adorns your whole front yard. You have done a masterful job of making it even more beautiful than a garden of just flowers. You rock. Have a great week!
Nancy Adkins
I LOVE Ground Cherries (Cape Gooseberries) too! In Hawaii they are called Poha and besides just eating mine while working in the garden they make an amazing Jam.
http://www.hawaiifruit.net/poha.htm
Janie
I would like to have a vegetable garden in my front yard but.... 1) I can't digest what I grow (gastroparesis) 2) Can't kneel, squat or bend over to plant it let alone weed (2 knee surgeries and a risotomy) 3) Raccoons, rabbits, deer and the rest of the wildlife would eat it all. So I think I'll do fake plants and glass flowers. Much easier on me.
Mary Werner
How did you know? Thanks so much for the pictures. I am taking a watercolor class and needed to practice by painting my garden, but I quit that to learn to paint so now I can use your amazing pictures. Not only a wonderful gardener, blogger, chef, DIY guru, and stair climber, but you take great pictures also!
Sandy
I wish my garden could look like that! You did an outstanding job designing the layout. It is a gorgeous garden.
Nicki Woo
Geez Louise. I'm dizzy. That is a lot of garden. I'd say getting lost in it wouldn't be such a bad ending:)
Karen
LOL! I guess there are worse ways to go. ~ karen
magali
what interesting information about the ground cherries!
when you say winter harvest, when does that mean exactly?
Karen
Hi Magali - That means that beets (and carrots actually) are two of the things that prefer growing in cool weather. If you plant them late in the summer you can go out and harvest them by the end of October. You can also then leave them in the ground, protect them with a cold frame or straw and pick them all winter long. That's a quick version. I'll be doing a post on it all later.~ karen!
Sarah
Absolutely GORGEOUS, Karen! I think all front yards should taste, er...I mean look, this good. And if you ever need help eating ALL those goodies, I'm available. Ha!
Chrissie
You have a wonderful garden. Not so sorry the small things aren't seen again. Seems that they met a happy end though. Blessings and keep on growing and inspiring. Thank you.
Tanya H.
Your garden is GORGEOUS! Delicata squash is my absolute favourite.