This is one day's worth of green beans. We had beans with the lamb chops I marinated Sunday - fresh rosemary, parsley and lemon basil from the garden, garlic, some olive oil and sea salt, all mashed up with my mortar and pestle (a ridiculously heavy granite one - I love it!). They were yummy. Beyond yummy. We also had them the night before with a steak, and I will probably have some tonight. We are going to clean off the bushes before the end of the week, since we are away next week at the cottage. I don't have a garden there, but I do have pots of herbs, so the mortar and pestle will probably come along - it makes the best marinades...We had a potential issue with Son's corn crop - the hail did a number on it, but we got it back upright, and staked them pretty well. I don't think there will be a problem, which is good, because Son is looking forward to the corn more than anything. The carrots are coming along, but they are still a couple of weeks away at best. The chili peppers should be ready to take to the cottage next week, which makes husband and son very happy.
We've also made a decision on the garden for next year. I personally think we should just dig up the whole lawn area behind the house, since we don't use that area (corner lot - weird lawn usage). Husband has this outdated notion of having "lawn". Fine - he has to cut it. So what we will do is containers. Large ones. Surprisingly, he's okay with this, even though the containers will sit on the grass and kill it. But it's not a set in stone "garden". Works for me - containers are better anyway - raised beds and all that. We are going very low tech, and getting large plastic bins - deep enough for some root type veggies, and spacious enough to really take advantage of the one sunny area of the lawn. Son is very excited, since he is the "food grower" of the family. "Dad handles the lawn, you grow flowers, but I grow the food, Mom".
8 comments:
we've done that for our tomatoes this year. Big trugs from WalMart, only $6. We drilled holes in them for drainage. They are working great, and even have handles for moving them about in the yard!
I should have added that I am for the no lawn - I've accomplished it in the front yard. No grass at all!
Containers give the sense of flexibility and of being able to change one's mind easily later.
i wasa downtown this weekend and walking along the very pretty and interesting sidestreets around Little Italy.
i saw one front garden full of pots and containers, all full of very healthy looking vegetables. a row of tomatoes along the fence.
not a blade of grass in sight, it was lovely.
helga
I'm working on containers this year. Its the first time I tried since the time I tried a planted garden about 10 years ago. Waaaaay to much shade. the goal was to move things as the sun moved. so far so fair. I have lettuce and tomatoes growing, beans and peas flowering, cucumbers about to bloom, and onions growing like mad. My only dissappointment is radishes. They bolted and have no roots. I think I'd have to do them earlier and find a much shadier spot. The bolting usually happens when they are too warm.
Good for your son. Great looking produce. Since mine are a while away from harvest, could he fax me some? (Virtually of course)
needles
I agree, lawn is an outdated idea. It sucks time and resources away from other things. If I owned my house (alas, I rent) the front lawn would be pea gravel with maybe a decorative bush or 2 and the backyard would be deck and/or cobblestone.
How smart to plan for next year from the perspective of this year!
How smart to plan for next year from the perspective of this year!
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