Somewhere around the 6th year of The Pickleman Family Garden on #hive. What started as a reclamation of lawn and repurposing to a simple garden veggie box has become and expanding and perpetual yearly tradition of exploration.

This edition, I am just started with the challenge of spending as little as possible and growing as much as possible.

Where we started...

As is the case, a long Canadian winter is never kind to a back yard with a dog and a family who ignores it a few snowy months. When you bookend that with a few weeks of consistent rain and lawnmowing procrastination, it didn't start as a pretty sight. The biggest garden box was falling apart, weeds were popping up first in the beds, and the soil was in dire need of a fresh round of compost, fertilizer, manure and black earth. Here we go.



A quick mow, a bit of cleaning up the anti-dog fortifications, some new fertilized soil and compost to freshen up the beds and a planting seems to have happened in a snap!

Strawberry Patch

I started with the strawberry patch which seems to thin out each year. They sprout every year modestly and grow quickly at the end of spring but I like to augment it every year with new seedlings. They are usually a few bucks each and I grab maybe 6 little ones but there were none of those this year. So, I snagged a hanging basket for $18 and split it into 6 to fill in the thin spots.



A bit of top soil refresh and planting of the newest plants, we opted for a new to cover the sprouts from bugs and the brown thing lurking in the top left of the picture.



When all was planted and covered, expecting the nets to deter dog is probably just wishful thinking. Peppers of all sorts in the end and a variety of greens (from kale to spinach to leaf lettuce to mesclun mix of leafy greens) on the right. We are opting for the obstruction defense as the perimeter tactic last year proved ineffectual.

The Main Box

With the box rebuilt and the soil all fertilized and ready, I left the planting to my girls. We transplanted a big patch of oregano from the other box to grow along side 6 varieties of tomatoes. Beefsteak and cherry from what I know and some other artisan ones means we will again have way too man tomato plants. Plenty to share with others and still have to put on every sandwich..

The far end has some zucchini, spaghetti squash, yellow and english cucumbers and I think a couple sweet peppers. Each of the sprouts are protected by tomato cages and I stood up a perimeter of Guinea pig cages as a perimeter. Impressive looking but I think it is a matter of time I find a dog in there.

He is as cute as he is ignorant of our garden struggles he inadvertently causes. Hit little nose is always on the lookout for rabbits, ground hogs, possums or any other animals that would have the audacity to trespass on his yard. If he wasn't as big a menace to the garden as any of them, what a garden we might have!



More rain and a past due mow and we are off and growing. I took the chainsaw to the tree and cleaned up anything under 8 feet so there might actually be more sunlight and airflow for the veggies. Raspberry and mint are already grappling for space in the flower bed and the lillies have thrown up plenty of green to start filling things in. Not a bad start to what hopefully will be a season of growing, eating and sharing.

Blooms!

I have been starting to collect pictures of all the early blooming flowers. Not only are they a welcome splash of colour early in the spring, they are some of the first food the bees and other pollinators get. With all the pesticides on the incredible number of farmers fields around here, and the dumb ornamental lawns with native flowers (aka weeds) pruned and sprayed away, some still wonder why pollinators are in danger, and will take us with them if they fall. Maybe just a drop in the bucket but I love the thousands of blooms that pop from flowers and trees in my yard.

This garden post is long enough already so maybe I will save them for a flower-focused garden post where I REALLY turn into an old lady with her flowers!

Mom started me along my path of growing stuff when I was a kid. Motivated by so many blockchain blogging gardeners, I figured I would plant and share and learn as I reclaim as much grass space as I can. It has turned out to be a fruitful experience and I hope to inspire others to sow and grow no matter what your location or experience level is.

Will there be pickles this year finally?!

Wherever you are...JUST GROW!

I am honoured to curate for:

What are you growing this year?