twenty plus years of veggie gardening in the 98178








Early spring is the time to be hopeful. I've started the veggie garden again, and although there's always a lot of work to do, I'm hopelessly optimistic. Just as baseball season has started, and the Seattle Mariners are 3-0. It's easy to have delusions early in the season. It'll be a while before they are mathematically eliminated from post season contention, the dream can last until June, no?
Same with the garden. Last summer was a bad one for the garden. First I managed to kill a bunch of tomato starts in the greenhouse. Then I didn't prepare the garden beds sufficiently, and the weeds got the upper hand. Plus I was busy working, and it was a hotter than usual summer, and I'd rather do almost anything else than be outside in the heat.
But this year will be different. Mostly because I'm intentionally trying to make things easier. Instead of weeding and preparing seven or eight long  garden beds in the backyard, I'm only doing five. To make up for the loss of the three, I'm covering ground with cardboard to cover the weeds, and then planting in bales of straw and big fabric grow bags. The cabbage plants in the straw bales( not pictured) look especially healthy. I've started spinach seeds in a bag, and sprouted orach and broccoli rabe in the greenhouse, now planted in the yard. We're also reclaiming some space closer to the kitchen door, not as far into the yard as the veggie garden, so don't have to grow as much in the veggie garden.
Pepper seeds and eggplant seeds are in the greenhouse. The peppers are Giant Marconi, which have proven themselves to be a good grower in the Pacific Northwest, and mighty tasty roasted, sauteed, and in salads. And NuMex Joe Parker, a variety I haven't grown before. it's a variety of Hatch chili, but fairly mild. and also the Japanese Shishito pepper, which is popular in restaurants now, because it's yummy.
Tomatoes I'll start in the greenhouse in a few days, then cucumber, Patty Pan squash, and round zucchini. I grew those before, and they were fun. Lettuce is in the fabric grow bags. Now I just have to keep going out there and keep gardening.

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