In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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May 05, 2008

Bee Garden bounty

A couple of hours ago I harvested a head of lettuce, dozens of radishes, arugula leaves, chives and parsley from the Bee’s Square Foot Garden. And most of that produce became today’s lunch. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

It’s a wonderful feeling to sit down to a meal and be able to say “This lettuce came from the garden.” It’s such a feeling of accomplishment to grow a vegetable garden. The Square Foot Garden method has been trouble free, and very little work. But in all fairness, so has the rest of the garden thus far.

And everywhere I look in the garden I see either bounty or promise.

The lettuce is growing great guns. The arugula is making masses of leaves. The radishes are healthy and growing quickly. The tomatoes are beginning to bloom. The cucumber seedlings are finally stretching out. The eggplant looks healthy and happy. The Romaine lettuce is beautiful and the basil is putting on lots of new growth.

I see the earwigs have been nibbling on the marigold leaves. If giving them marigolds to eat keeps them off the lettuce, then I guess that’s a good trade-off. And I’m still getting plenty of orange/red/gold flowers.

As I sat watching the garden today, several finches stopped by to nibble on the sunflower leaves growing in another raised bed. Hummingbirds came by, too, and even stopped to rest on the tomato cages.

The garden is a happy place, and I love sitting and looking at it grow.

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