The Ending of a Good Garden Year

I am amazed at how well our garden did this year. Why the amazement you ask? Well, so many around us had a terrible time of it gardening this year for one reason or, another. Lack of time, inclination or, bad weather.

I was told by my next door neighbor it was "because you don't work" our garden did well. Don't work? Geez Louise don't you think I already put my time in the 9-5 work a day world? I did 25+ years doing the daily grind on the night shift at that. And, I am 20 some odd years older than you whose house looks like a disaster area and should be condemned and who harvested only a dozen decent tomatoes from 30 plants. (Though whose counting here?) I am not neither sitting on my laurels nor, not working in some way daily. I guess she got my back up a bit with her indiscriminate statement.

Our big plans are to start a CSA garden. To become self employed and help others to learn how to eat locally and organically. Everything I did in the garden this past year was a learning experience to make this dream of ours come true. I planted so many different types of tomatoes I lost count, new crops of different sorts, different ways of trellising plants and tried new organic pesticides on those bad buggies who were chomping on the plants. (Did you know a strong vacuum cleaner will clear the beetles out of your squash and cucumber plants amazingly well?) All of this in preparation for next year's garden. And, I didn't work you say?

I look with great pleasure at all the food stuffs I put by this year. I hotwater bathed canned, I continued to learn more on how to pressure can, I dehydrated all sorts of veggies and I froze as much as I could for our winter consumption. I am proud of what I was able to accomplish. It should lighten our grocery bills this winter quite a bit. Oh and you said I didn't work?

I hope all you who continued to read this blog had a good experience with your gardening too. Are you ready for next year?