Spring has definitely arrived on the island and I'm thrilled to finally be digging around in my garden. Over the last couple of weekends, Tony and I did a bunch of yard and gardening work together. First, we planted a fig tree (in front of the house), a pear espalier with two kinds of pears grafted on it (Anjou and Bartlett) on the East side of the house, four bushes of red currant and one bush of goji berries. I already had several blueberry bushes and an Asian pear tree from last year.
Then last week, we did a project of fencing off my garden to ensure it is whippet-free. The yard doesn't look as nice and open as before, but the esthetics had to be compromised in the name of home-grown veggies. Once the fence was installed, we spent a good bit of effort turning the soil and adding compost to it. It was hard work. And we also did some fun stuff like planting the first herbs and seeds of the season. I now have: parsley, two types of arugula, several kinds of lettuce (crisp mint, oak leaf, butterhead, and mache), several types of mint that I've acquired over the years (Moroccan, chocolate, grapefruit, spearmint, Bulgarian "djodjan"), Rapini (aka Broccoli Raab), radishes, peas and fava beans. I also got asparagus and French sorrel that I'm yet to plant. Needless to say, Colin and I are looking forward to some tasty salads this spring!
A star of the fenced garden, however, has to be a kiwi vine that Tony got for me. In fact, he had to get two - a male plant and a female plant, but of course, only the female bears fruit. Kiwi does well in the Pacific Northwest but we selected a variety that's a bit less common than the Kiwis typically found in the store. It's called Geneva and the fruit is a bit bigger than grapes, with smooth skin, so it doesn't have to be peeled. Supposedly, a mature vine can bear 150lbs of fruit each season! I don't expect to get any this summer, but I look forward to tasting it next year!
Things are looking pretty bare still, but with some imagination, you can get a sense for what's to come this summer (I can't wait :-)):
Veggies waiting to be planted:
The red currant is already showing signs of life, only a week after being planted:
Fenced garden:
Pear espalier (first "floor" is Anjou, second "floor" is Bartlett) :
