trials & tribulations of gardening

if a tree falls in your garden & no one is around to see it; does it make a sound?

 I don't know! but i sure did yelp, when i arrived at my seed garden to see this; and breathed quite the sigh of relief when i realized most of my plants were amazingly ok - except a few of my precious black russian tomato plants. 

miraculously just missed sweet orange pepper plants!

precious just missed basil plants looking unfazed 

 smashed black russian tomato plants :( 

 back of the garden is unaffected, thankfully! 

not a huge tree, but still could've done a lot more damage. all in all feeling pretty lucky.

the end of my beautiful perennial garden -- at least until parts of it can begin again

 i spent 8 years building this beautiful garden. i added tonnes of amazing plants from friends established perennial gardens, started beauties from seeds, and moved things around to have it bloom beautifully each month of the season. this is what it looked like in July 2012. i think it was my greatest art project to date, and certainly made me feel very proud & happy every time i looked at it ...

 unfortunately, not everyone has the same values as me, and since I didn't own the home where it was had no control when it was decided that the gorgeous little neighbourhood of fleming place would loose all of its trees, gardens & character to development.
This is what the garden site looks like just a year later in July 2013.

 I got some of my plants out, they are not very happy with being moved, and are just being kept alive this season, instead of flourishing. so so heartbreaking. 

 the last remaining green in the corner is a lilac tree that i started from a small little twig. i wonder & hope it will stay against the bulldozer. i have little faith though

the gorgeous green & lush fleming place in early summer 2012

 it was truly an urban oasis. 

 this is what it looks like today. barely a tree left on the whole property. certainly not lush, green or any sort of oasis. so sad. 

Community Garden Plot - Garlic Harvest

 garlic waiting on my dining room table to be tied up & dried for October planting 

 first big community garden harvest - garlic harvest #1, basil & one cucumber (many more to follow!) 

 late planted portugal hot pepper is bigger than it's plant! 

lots of cucumbers coming along, planted with a great companion for cooking & growing, dill

 i think that i may have forgotten to harvest this last season, and as a result got several small bulbs all attached together! 

 garlic harvest #2. unfortunately, we have had quite the leek moth infestation on our garlic at the lift lock community garden. I will have to inspect and hand kill all the little worms i find on the garlic so that I can plant it again safely this fall. i have been saving this garlic for 6 years, and would hate for anything to happen to it. it is the legacy of a dear friend, who i grew garlic with for years, and who passed away far too young.

 

late July seed garden photos

can't stop photographing this gorgeous drunken frizzy headed woman lettuce. Can't wait to add it to my urbantomato 2014 seed collection

First sunflower. I love having flowers mixed into my seed garden. Sometimes I collect the seeds, sometimes I love the beauty they add, and I always love that they attract pollinators  

mammoth purple cabbage - mine seems to be a little behind to what I see in other folks gardens, no cabbage yet, but I bet it likes these cold nights more than i do! 

purple cherokee tomatoes coming along 

cosmos & sunflowers captured just before blooming

first of the peppers! 

artichoke leaves unfurling 

portugal pepper bigger than the plants  

 lettuce boquets 

 more peppers coming 

red stalk celery. can't say i have ever had much luck growing into celery, but it sure makes a delicious herb

mexican sunflower. i started them from seed early this season, and they are flowering quite early as a reward.  

 lots of beans coming along 

 gorgeous mixed greens. waiting for most to go to seed, but couldn't resist picking a salad of speckled lettuce, siberian kale, red romaine, drunken frizzy headed woman lettuce, mustard greens and arugula! some zucchini blossoms too 

 first big basil harvest ... off to the Night Kitchen pizza shop for making delicious local pesto ... super local, same street, just five blocks apart from garden to restaurant. 

fire escape garden

 tomatoes & hot peppers are growing along great! zucchini and cucumbers bloomed quickly and are starting to grow up

 sprouting cucs & zucs from a few weeks ago. they are growing along great now. 

i ran out of space for my black cherry tomatoes in my garden. I figure, i should have great isolation here :)