The Vegetable Garden

Every year since we moved here, the vegetable garden has expanded in weird and wonderful ways. It has more than doubled in width, going from a narrow strip of land to a fat rectangle. Then it grew a separate appendage. A couple of years ago, I thought I was going to lose all my tomatoes plants to early blight. I quickly threw together a lasagna garden and planted a few more tomatoes. As it turned out, I save most of my plants and I had tomatoes galore. But the 'appendix' as Don calls it, stayed. Last year, I made the appendix larger using the lasagna method again and tried The Three Sisters there. So the garden is now in two pieces.

My goal is to grow enough that I can freeze/can/pickle the harvest to last to the next harvest. I had no idea just how much vegetables we consumed until I tried to grow them. While I haven't reached my goal yet, I'm getting close. We still have tomatoes I put up last year. The onions lasted till February as did the frozen veggies. I'm hoping to reach my goal with this season.

As it expanded, it also transformed in looks, from orderly rows of vegetables to patches, circles and yes, even the occasional row. This evolution continues as I learn more about companion planting, not only to encourage growth but to discourage pests as well. I must admit, I like the garden without its stern rows. It looks more natural to me, and isn't that the whole point?