It has now been four weeks since we planted our urban oasis. So far the squirrels seem to be staying away, thanks to our grumpy dog who patrols the deck as if she's the last sentry holdout in a siege... which with our
Squirrel Mafia... just might be accurate.
The tomatoes are officially taller than me now. The deep-planter is definitely working well, but the tomatoes are SO healthy... that I think they've shaded out our parsnips. (Whoops! Live and learn, eh?) The peppers are JUST starting to blossom, and there are already several HUNDRED tomato flowers. It looks to be another bumper-crop of our favorite blue-gold tomatoes this year, which ALMOST makes it worth the loss of our parsnips.
Our strawberries have been producing a small handful every day for over two weeks now, with no sign of slowing down anytime soon. After three failed crops, it's nice to FINALLY have garden-fresh fruit to complement all these veggies and herbs!
Our carrots have gone crazy. In the sunny pot we didn't have the heart to thin the seedlings, so there are somewhere around 60 carrots fighting for space. I pulled one to check size, and they look like they'll be ready to harvest in time for Labor Day. I'm LOVING the wild purple color!
We will be harvesting about 1/3 of our salad greens this afternoon for lunch... we grew: arugula, spinach, and a bronze leaf-lettuce. It looks as if once again, our arugula is outshining everything else in the towers.
The herbs are, as always, doing amazing. The dill is forming heads, the three hanging pots (mint, lemonbalm, and garlic chive) are requiring weekly pruning, and our lemon thyme has gone to flower. And the basil, oregano, and rosemary have all been pruned a few times as well.
And our beans have overrun the trellis, and are reaching at least 18" above our 8' high bamboo poles already. While I don't see any flowers yet, these tend to bloom late and continue producing through the first few frosts. Since we stuck with our favorite purple beans this year, I've no doubt that we'll be freezing blanched beans all through September.
<=== Ready to be shocked at the growth from two weeks ago?
I know that every year I say that this is the best our garden has ever grown... but every year, it's true! This year is no exception. It may be one small deck in the middle of three highways, but for me it's an oasis.
It's a happy place.
