This is third year of my tiny garden project. It has been trial and error all the way. I was introduced to gardening early age by my mother and grandmother and learned quickly the wisdom I apply to my everyday life even to this day - whining will not make the job easier.
I discovered this sad looking patch of land granny miraculously did not use the first year and decided to create something similar to a herb garden all by myself. No advice or help from anybody.
Year one
This is the only poor quality image I could find from first year. As you can see the patch of land was really sad looking and I did not use the space up to it’s potential. What grew here? Spinach, dill, lettuce, radishes, arugula, pumpkin, chamomile, peppermint, parsley and lavender. About lavender. You see the plant on left lower corner? Now imagine the same plant, but with a hole in the middle, all branches teared off, everything all over the place. Destroyed by cats as I suspected by footprints left on site. I took notes.
Year two
Year two I was determined to use every bit of land and I was really happy with the results. I added the wooden frame and pathways for easier access. List of plants almost doubled - peppermint, chamomile, broccoli, radishes, dill, onions, spring onions, leeks, beans, peas, courgettes, carrots, lettuce, arugula, spinach and tagetes (orange flowers). If you wonder about tagetes, I read somewhere that they scare away some pests. Notes - small space is OK for leafy plants, but not for carrots and such. Huge plants like courgettes will overshadow smaller plants as they grow bigger.
Year three
This year I started planning early. Made a list of all things I wanted to grow. All was good, but the weather. When it was time to plant and sow, it was very cold so I decided to postpone for a week or two. Leafy plants grow amazingly this summer because of all rain. It is more like warm autumn here really. This time I decided to give plants a little more room and moved carrots, beans and other to the big field. Some things overgrew so I removed them hence the empty patches. List of plants this year - peppermint, chamomile, dill, different kinds of lettuce, leeks, spring onions, milk thistle, parsley, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, lavender and strawberries. Please, don’t laugh at my silly looking cage thing made by me and my little brother in less than half an hour. It is true life saver for my lavender plants. Like I said, I took notes.
Gardening for me is like a meditation and way to clear my mind. Whenever I feel sad I go to my plants and get my hands dirty.
Please, don't be shy and show me your gardening skills!
Song of the day: Trentemøller - One Eye Open
Thought of the day: I see you, monkey mind shhh..chill
Tiny happiness of the day: mom’s oatmeal cookies