We finally got all our gardens planted. It was tough, slow work, as the ground was full of roots – wild rose, salmonberry, thimbleberry, alder, and worst of all, English ivy. However, we now have four patches broken and seeded.
The gardens are very experimental this year. The soil looks not too bad, but it is still pretty rough, full of weeds, small roots, and rocks. Over time, we’ll get the worst of the roots and rocks out, and will build up the soil with compost and mulch. However, right now it is fairly sandy and dry. Last year was a very hot summer, and our creeks dried up by June. I am hoping that we will have enough water to maintain the garden, but it may end up that only the most drought resistant vegetables will survive.
We’ve planted a wide diversity of vegetables in the hopes that we will have some success – chicory, lettuce (7 varieties), argula (2 varieties), sorrel, spinach, chard (2 varieties), cilantro, corn salad, orache, kale (5 varieties), radishes (2 varieties), mustard (4 varieties), snow peas, shelling peas (2 varieties), broad beans, pole beans, runner beans, bush beans, dry beans (7 varieties), beets (4 varieties), turnips (2 varieties), carrots (4 varieties), potatoes (3 varieties), corn, squash (5 varieties), zucchini, tomatoes (3 varieties), garlic, elephant garlic, leeks, onions (5 varieties), and shallots. Wow! Now we will have to wait and see what will grow.