Updated August 27, 2022
(This post has been translated by google translation, feel free to let me know about any mistakes)
Like last year, I decided to document my gardening experience once again.
Let's start a new gardening season!
This summer, we are well served by the heat and unfortunately this is not always a good thing for vegetables. Just wait and see....
But before that, everything really started in April.
APRIL 2022
Seedlings
This year, I was unable to start my seedlings before April because of I did not have time. And I was smarter than last year because instead of installing the seedlings in my living room, I rather invested in the purchase of an indoor greenhouse. And I admit that it made a big difference because I was able to install it in my kitchen.
See for yourself :
2021 2022
I am better organized because I had kept the little pots from last year. Since I had several seeds left from last year, I decided to start with hot peppers, eggplants and Okra (new for me).
So if all goes well, I might end up with lots of hot peppers (my husband will be happy) and lots of eggplants (I'll be super happy).
As I mentioned last year, the temperature at my house in winter can easily rise to 28C due to the fact that I have a large window facing south-east. And with the mini greenhouse, it was conducive to help quickly germinating the seeds.
April 29 - Quick tour of the garden
From mid-April, I couldn't resist going for a quick visit to check the state of the garden. But above all to see the work that awaited us to start the season. At the end of last season, I decided to install tarpaulins to cover certain parts of the garden in order to eliminate the weeds which make our gardening experience very restrictive since we do not use chemicals to kill them. Everything is done to keep our vegetable garden from the "organic" designation. I can't wait to see what will happen once the tarps are removed.
MAY 2022
The month of April was quite cool and the arrival of slightly milder weather in May was quite encouraging, but the weather forecast had some surprises in store for us: heat waves and storms.
Early May - It's time for us to plow the land
I admit that this year, we had less work to do. I was able to do it without the help of the husband and only with the boys. It must be said, I think the husband was not too tempted to get his hands dirty. I decided to start with different sections of the garden so as not to be overwhelmed because I knew that once I removed the tarps installed last fall, the weeds would surely reappear.
Mid-May transfer to the garden
At this time, it is the long-awaited moment. Transfer the seedlings to the garden. This year, I had several that I had installed in my indoor greenhouse. They grew well and the beautiful weather allowed me to take them outside. And to get used to them, I had first started by placing the greenhouse on the balcony a few days before the transfer to the garden.
There were very hot days without rain but I was afraid to have the same experience as last year when I decided to transfer the plants to the garden and we had a day of frost on the ground.
Mother nature can surprise us!
And the heat comes with its share of problems: dry ground and the appearance of storms.
May 21 - Storm Day
Indeed, mother nature has reserved a big surprise for us. No frost but a storm with lots of rain and strong winds. The day of the storm, I went to work in the garden with the boys without doubting what was going to happen. Suddenly, the alert was heard on my cell phone indicating that we must go cover up, while we were having fun with a little toad.
Thanks God! The heavy rain started just as I arrived at my parking lot.
May 22 - Visit of the garden the day after the storm
Really, I had no idea of the gravity of the situation. The storm caused enormous damage in the city (uprooted trees), there were unfortunately 2 deaths, several people lost electricity (we were ok). It was really while watching the news that I saw the seriousness of the situation and while speaking with some people I know who have been affected. So I asked my husband to go and see if the garden was affected.
May 23 - Aftermath of the Storm, Cleaning
I ask my husband and the boys to go and clean up the storm damage in the garden.
May 29 - Ready for the final transfer?
That's it ! Seedlings are ready for final transfer to the garden. I have plenty of them. I managed to grow okra, hot pepper, eggplant and some Chinese cabbage. They look solid and I hope they will grow well in the garden. My only concern is whether they will withstand the intense heat.
Bye Bye the greenhouse!
JUNE 2022
That's it ! Serious things have begun. I can finally free the greenhouse from seedlings. The weather is good enough for the garden. It only remains to hope that the weather will often cooperate to allow the vegetables to grow quickly.
June 3 - Transfer of vegetables
I bring all the seedlings to the garden which is ready for them. I remove the tarps as I go. Clearly the tarps set up did a good job as the ground is weed free (so far). But as you can see where there was no tarp, weeds are in abundance. I also took the opportunity to sow the seeds of different vegetables: Spinach, Sorrel, Amaranth, and plant a few.
June 13 - Preview of some shoots
It grows, it grows and it makes me happy.
Here I decided to do a little editing of the various videos I made on shoots.
June 17 - Transfer of vegetables phase 2
I plant new vegetables that have been offered to us in order to avoid waste. It was free, offered by Just Food and as I had space in the garden, I took the opportunity to plant there: Zucchini, eggplant, hot peppers, peppers
June 22 - Beginning of a new section to plant vegetables
I take this opportunity to remove the tarp from certain sections in order to plant my spinach and other vegetables. The advantage of having put the tarpaulin is that there were no weeds that grew there so less work when plowing the land. It's fun!!!
June 25 - Installation of the straw
We were offered to order straw from a local farmer and I accepted. I like to install straw on my plants beds because it slows down the spread of weeds and also it allows me to save on watering because the straw keeps the soil moist for a long time.
July 2022
July 2 & July 3 - Lettuce and Chinese cabbage
I'm surprised because the lettuce grows quite quickly and that forces me to harvest it. But it does not matter because it allows me to save on the purchase of lettuce. I cut the lettuce which will allow it to grow back and give me another harvest. On the other hand, I do not understand because where I planted the lettuce, appears the Chinese cabbage. I imagine that the seeds have been transferred to this section. Or maybe the birds brought it. Who knows !!
July 4 - Chamomile harvest
On this day, I decide to harvest chamomile. This year I planted them over a whole section of the garden and had lots of flowers. It will be perfect for concocting a good chamomile herbal tea.
July 7 - Raspberries and currants
Today's visit was mostly watering but at the sight of the beautiful raspberries I couldn't resist eating a few. It must be said that since I started my gardening adventure, I have never had the opportunity to enjoy raspberries. This year, there are several but I noticed that there were some on the ground which means that someone or something touched it.
The currants are still green and just like the raspberries, this is the first time I have had them. But for how long ?
Oh! Is this animal responsible for the damage in the garden? Is he the one eating my raspberries?
July 11 - Installation of wood chips on the edges
I decided to plant the fruits on the edges of my plot (1 apple tree, several different kinds of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and currants). And in order to reduce the spread of weeds, last year I had installed a ground cover which is like a black fabric (I don't know if there is a special name). This year I decided to cover it with wood chips and straw but will that really prevent weeds from growing?
July 13 -Finish the installation of the wood chips on the edges phase 2
I'm going back today to finish installing the wood chips and watering. I am quite satisfied with the work. I hope this work will prevent the rapid regrowth of weeds in this section.
July 14 - Zucchini and raspberries
I'm happy to see that the zucchini are growing and that I still have a few raspberries to taste.
July 15 - Peppers and currants
This year, there is no doubt, I would be well served because I would have a lot of peppers during the harvest. And the currants? We will see !
Am I really going to be able to eat currants?
July 16 - Aromatic herbs
My visit today was to see how my herb section was doing. And it's going very well. It grows very quickly and unfortunately I don't have time to harvest them quickly enough.
My lemon balm is starting to flower as well as the agastache that I planted this year, I love this plant because its leaves smell like licorice and its flowers attract bees. In addition, it has medicinal properties just like St. John's wort whose flowers are sublime. My only lavender plant has a few flowers but I plan to plant more next year as I love lavender.
And of course, the mint is always present, the good side of this plant is that it is not at all demanding, just like the borage which is still growing this year. It is a plant that appears in various sections of the garden without having to sow seeds.
The sage section is in great shape but for a moment I thought it wasn't going to grow because of the drought.
The "Swiss Chard" are growing well and I will be able to start harvesting. But strange thing, there is just a section where the vegetables grow well
The tomatoes are quite large but still green.
July 21 & July 23 - The soil is dry but the vegetables are growing well
I had no choice but to go to the garden after an absence of almost a week. It's been a while since I've removed the weeds that have started to take over the garden.
It must be said that in recent days we have been affected by extremely hot and dry temperatures but the rain that has fallen has helped to contribute to the regrowth of weeds. So, despite the heat and with the help of the boys, we were able to tackle the weeds. I was quite happy with the result because we had done a good job.
Before and after
July 26 - Harvest the garlic
Today I finally decided to harvest the garlic, the drought was starting to have an impact on the garlic and I didn't want to take the risk of losing them. I was pleasantly surprised because for the first time, I managed to have garlic. Plus some jumbo garlic. This encourages me to plant a whole big section of garlic for next year. On the other hand, I would not have the chance to eat yellow zucchini this year, an animal was well served
July 29 - Nice temperature
I decide to go to the garden to remove the weeds since the temperature is pleasant. And I take this opportunity to take some pictures of squash and zucchini
July 30 - Another enjoyable day
Another beautiful day. This time, it's watering and picking the zucchini that the animal left me. Eggplants, peppers and squash grow well.
The okra is growing very well but small critters are starting to eat the leaves
I must admit that peppers are healthy.
AUGUST 2022
August 3 - The insects that are useful to us or that bother us in the garden
I decide to make a short stop in the garden to water. I would have liked to harvest but as I don't have time to do it, I postpone this project for tomorrow. Meanwhile, the visit allowed me to realize that insects are eating the leaves of my okra. I believe it is Japanese beetles and these are the same insects that attack my fruit (raspberries, blackberries and currants).
I had the same problem last year and my solution is to spray the leaves with water mixed with non-chemical liquid soap and olive oil. I must admit that it works because after a few minutes the insects disappear but you have to do it regularly.
Of course, in the garden, there are also insects that can be useful to us. Like the praying mantis, this is the first time I've seen one in the garden.
My solution to get rid of Japanese beetles (soap mixed with olive oil in a spray bottle)
August 4 - Harvest of aromatic herbs
Since yesterday I didn't have time to harvest, I decided to do it today and it's only the harvest of aromatic herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, tarragon, rosemary, chives)
August 11- Visit of the garden after several days of absence
The last time I went to the garden was August 4 and the reason: it was super hot. We broke heat records and people were advised not to do outdoor activities.
Although in the garden, the temperature is often more pleasant because we are surrounded by several trees, I was not motivated to leave the air conditioning of the house. Then we had several days of rain, it seems that it rained in 2, 3 days the equivalent of a month of rain.
When it rains, it makes me happy because I save on water, I don't need to move around to water, but there is a disadvantage: the spread of weeds. So today's visit allowed me to see the results of the rain and heat of the past few days.
A short video showing the state of the garden during my visit after several days of absence
August 16 - Harvest spinach and peppers
I decide to go to the garden to start my harvest of spinach and peppers. I also decided to completely remove all the lettuces that were still growing and what a surprise! A snail that had taken up residence there.
My visit
August 23 - Sorrel harvest
There has been rain since last night and more is expected during the day.
I take advantage of the labor (the boys) to help me harvest the sorrel. I'm going back to work next week and I won't have time to go to the garden more often.
Nope! I can't wait to get back to work.
The harvest is going well, it is humid. But all of a sudden, it starts to rain. I knew it was going to happen that's why we arrived well prepared. It's the first time I've been in the garden in the rain.
A person had told me that they preferred to garden in the rain instead of doing it under the blazing sun. I understood what she meant, it's not unpleasant when you're well equipped.
Quick method of harvesting in my opinion.
Before and after harvest
Teamwork
Flagrant proof that an animal is helping itself in my garden. They left poop!
I can't wait to harvest the peppers.
Overview of the garden
August 25 - No okra but some beets
Today I was expecting to harvest Okra but to my surprise I was only able to get 3. I see it growing but I also see flowers appearing. This is the first time I've planted the Okra so maybe I'm not sure how to go about it. But I'm still going to wait another week.
On the other hand, the beets are ready. I'm pretty happy with my beets, I'm leaving some out hoping it will continue to grow.
What is good with this vegetable is that we eat the root and the leaves.
I have a lot of green peppers growing but I'm still waiting a bit before harvesting them
The Chinese spinach that I had planted dried up very quickly so I decided to leave them in order to collect the seeds to sow them next year.
I decided to cover this section with a tarp as the weeds are growing there in abundance, hopefully they will go away so that next year my garden can't look like a wild field. I had to remove the eggplants that I had planted to transfer them elsewhere, however I don't know if they will have enough time to grow. After all, the nights will soon become very chilly.
I can't wait for the hot peppers to grow and ripen.
So that's what today's visit was all about!
To be continued ....
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