Friday, September 3, 2010

the garden as it is

My parents, always a good subject, have been obsessed with the concept of this garden for years. They call it the "walled garden," presumably to keep out deer and wind (we live in such a windy place that they're building turbines less than a mile from us, which we are not that thrilled about).

It was built entirely by my dad and brother, and as it was a scramble to finish it between winter and the growing season, we didn't have enough time to plant very many things, or plant very nicely. It is sort of a mess.

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We only have successful crops of beets, zucchini and green beans so far.

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My wonderful mother planted about six packets of various vines in a corner that could have been more than filled by a few seeds. The result, it seems, is a lot of vines and very few fruits growing. I've found a few pumpkins to put boards under but there appear to be a LOT of these ornamental gourds.

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Which aren't good for anything, really. It is all a big cross pollinated jumble that will have to be tilled over next spring.

The growing season here is so short (it may freeze any night now) that it took this long to get zinnias.

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We have big plans for the garden next year though. If I am still around (which I more than half hope that I am not because it would mean I still don't have a job) I intend to move the pumpkin patch to the hillside where it was before and just do my best to keep away whatever was eating the pumpkins. I'm also very intrigued by the idea of planting colorful fingerling potatoes, onions and garlic. People in Minnesota, sadly, do not use garlic (Scandinavian foods have very little seasoning in my experience). Ah well, there is always the farmer's market until then.

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