Take a walk through my garden, 2012 in Paonia, Colorado

Walking through my garden last season was a continuous joy for me. Of the thousands of photos I took, here’s a sampling of the wonder as I saw it. The diversity that IS life on this planet fills my heart. And last year filled my garden, too. So grateful! What’s growing (or grew) in my backyard garden this year, in the North Fork Valley of Colorado, with rich, black dirt and LOTS of earthworms:

Over wintered collards, spinach, mixed lettuces, radishes, strawberries, beets, carrots, red pontiac and yukon gold potatoes, several kales, rainbow chard, tri-color bush beans-yellow wax, green, burgundy, blue lake pole beans, leeks, broccoli, cabbage, pickling cucumbers, Luscious bi-color sweet corn, watermelon, butternut squash, white pumpkin seeds turning into orange pumpkins, jalapeno, red bell and serrano peppers, tomatillo, and ten varieties of tomato: moby grape, sun gold, yellow pear, sweet 100’s, san marzeno, lemon boy, early girl, beefsteak, purple cherokee, brandywine.

Herbs: horseradish, thyme, chives, rosemary, basil, burnet, garden sage, oregano, parsley, lavendar, lemon balm, spearmint – plus white sage and sweetgrass

And ornamental gourds

Gratitude

Bees in the glory days of fall

Tierra me cuerpo – Earth my body

last fall’s photo op of the pumpkins

October 11, 2012 yield from the beet and carrot patch

gratitude to Mother Earth – Pachamama

symbol of change

the sweetness of life in motion

at least a pound of basil today

bean picking with a glass of hard cider!

a few lovely tomatoes

the praying mantis swiveled it’s head to eye me

exquisite jumble of the garden

evening sun through the grapes

Detroit Reds

surprise! baby butternut squashes beneath the garden chair

bottleneck gourds

they are delicious, so sweet….

you’ll be happy to see my last watermelon is fully ripe and luscious!

bringing renewed sweetness to hearts and spaces in the future

first of the season black walnuts

Pachamama’s presence, for sure

ready to harvest!

garden party!

Explore beyond …..

today’s harvest of red pontiac heirloom potatoes alongside white sage, oregano, sweet grass and basil plants

picking out the perfect leaves, young and tender

red oak lettuce…

picking pickling cukes!

endless….soft petals

After a welcome rain…

organic bi-color Luscious sweet corn

tomatillos of joy

leeks are coming along and vichyssoise awaits!

Roots! massive scarlet nantes carrots

tomato treasures, plus a lone chili

morning light playing through elderberries, bush beans, watermelon and mallow

all set for the summer wedding reception potluck in the park

tri color beauties after washing

light and shadow in autumn

shovel love

October bees and broccoli going to flower

lush abundance

the Hall of Corn and Elderberries

through Great Spirit’s eyes – a gourd blossom’s view of the garden

And a couple months later — true Paradise.

Additional fruits: apricot, a tiny sour cherry, reliance seedless pink grapes, Italian plum, “summer” apple, elderberry, chokecherry, rhubarb, gooseberry (which hasn’t borne fruit yet! and one black walnut tree…..

I’m not living a “100 mile diet” yet by any means, but I do really enjoy growing as much variety as possible to at least produce most of my vegetables, etc. for as much of the year as possible. And I actually think I’m going to take the plunge and buy a chest freezer this week… That must mean I’m turning farmer, right?!

4 Comments Add yours

Margaret Gilfoyle says:

January 1, 2013 at 7:12 pm

Months later – but that chest freezer WAS purchased and I am so glad to have this sturdy appliance purring in my back room, weighed down with some awesome produce and fruits of 2012. What a dear and real gift to choose from such a wonderful variety of all the vegetables I grew, these cold, cold days of winter.