Where do I start? 33 days ago I was kayaking along the Androscoggin River with no shirt on feeling the hot sun beating on my shoulders and back, Lauren was taking a swim in the water, and tomorrow night it is supposed to be 29 degrees, as is Fahrenheit, as in below freezing, Summer 2011 is over.
On June 5th I planted a “garden” in my yard where I thought the most sun would exist. Everything I planted was from seed straight out of the packets. That’s right, planting “seeds” June 5th on a “shady” lot of land in the mountains of western Maine just a few miles away from Sunday River Ski Resort which holds claim to being the first ski resort to open for business in the United States last year on October 22, 2010. Yes… that’s only 38 days from now.
Most would not call this a “victory garden” but I will. That is because some things actually did grow. I planted a bunch of perennial flowers which now have a base of leaves as I write this. I have great expectations as early next summer Black-Eyed Susan, Shasta Daisy, Purple Coneflower, and Coreopsis bloom forth with wonderful flowering color and attitude for all to see.
On the vegetable side of the equation I planted a few seeds on a very small space (3 feet by 6 feet) of the following:
Space Spinach – Dead on Arrival. The seeds barely germinated.
Pepper – Forget it, a few leaves 6 inches tall and nothing close to resembling a bell pepper or any pepper for that matter.
Carrots – I feel hope. Great ferny heads above ground but who knows what lingers below.
Lettuce – My big Winnah! This was a Loose-leaf blend of five different varieties and we harvested 6 ½ servings from a 3’ x 2’ spot.
Tomatoes – Here’s what they look like now and tomorrow we’re supposed to have frost. I’m cutting a few off the vine to see how they ripen indoors and then I’ll cover the rest with plastic garbage bags to see if they survive the frost.
The lesson I learned this year is: start the seeds indoors and see if I can find or make a sunnier spot in the yard (timber…!). I hope you had a great summer. Thanks for stopping by.
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