Garden Reflections

Here we are at the last day of 2015 and the final blog post of the year. Hoping you all had a fantastic year and wishing you much gardening success and joy in 2016.

Frosty blooms 

#frostedflowers

What a year it was here at the Nitty Gritty Greenhouse, a great year, but with some bumps and bruises along the way.

Slowly but surely this grassy acre is becoming a lovely little homestead, thank you all for bearing with us during the process.

Your visits to the nursery absolutely make my day! My week! My month! I so enjoy seeing you all and chatting gardening, pets, life, weather...

The workshops were a blast, as always! Swapping stories and laughing with you all as we tackled growing our own organic food or made pretty baskets. To attend one or more of these fabulous and fun workshops, please go to the link HERE. The tab up top will show you both lists, DIY's and How-to's.      

In the potager, the gardens thrived, produced, and grew like mad, even as we dealt with drought and severe water restrictions. The mister and I canned, froze, preserved, pickled, sauced, and de-hydrated more than ever before!

The girls joyfully playing after Ruby (lying down) recovered from her knee surgeries

Our sweet Ruby Tuesday had both knees operated on so was out of commission for the entire spring and summer, while little Penelope puppy grew and grew and grew...  a bit like Clifford the Big Red Dog.   
  
Here are some highlight pics of how the Nitty Gritty Potager grew, month by month ....

January... We were still enjoying a great selection of beautiful, sweet carrots straight out of our own gardens. Also kale, leeks, Brussels sprouts, and parsnips, too. Citrus trees come into their own during the winter months. This is when they really start to flower and fruit.  

A basket of yummy carrots and Brussels sprouts, too

Atomic Red (pink ones), Cosmic Purple, Danvers Half Longs, and Nantes 

#colourfulcarrots

Citrus trees flower and fruit happily during the winter months

February ...  The days are getting longer and warmer. Plants begin to come out of their winter dormancy.  

 Olives forming on the adorable, wee Arbequina olive tree

#weelittleolives

Violas blooming... 

March ... Spring was most definitely in the air. Flowers blooming everywhere and workshops in full swing.  

Fenced in the garden beds to keep the puppies out

#springatthegreenhouse

What is that saying... 

Good fences make for good doggies and happy mommies? 

Something like that ; ) 

#fullyfencedin

 Anemones bloomed and I fell in love!

#anemone

April ... Garden beds, pots and planters begin to perk right up... welcome sunshine!

Gardens come to life... 

#gardensawaken

..as do pots and planters. 

May... was all about the roses and the strawberries. What a glorious month it was. 

 

Well, hello sun!

#goodmorning 

 Alliums time to shine
#alliums

June-bearing strawberries are putting on the fruits... 

 Roses showing off!

The new buds on the Black Baccara live up to their name. 

 #blackbaccararose

Basket making workshops are in full swing... 

#begoniabasket

June ...  If you plant it, it will grow. June was a gorgeous month, warm and sunny. Everything one planted immediately thrived! Of course, by the end of the month, we were already on water restrictions ...  

 Heirloom Radish Mix
#heirloomradishes

 Garlic was ready almost a month early! 

#garlic

Garden beds were thriving in the dry heat

 #companionplanting

July... then along came July, still no rain with loads of heat and sunshine. Veggies and flowers were producing and ripening and flowering faster (almost) than one could keep up. What a terrific problem to have indeed!

Spuds of every hue... 

#spudsinatub 

 Zinnia bouquets earlier than ever

#colourfulzinnias

 Zinnias and more zinnias.. 

#morezinnias

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous heirloom eggplants

#heirloomeggplants

August... Late summer rolls around, still no rain to speak of and no respite from the heat. Watering restrictions have been tightened even more and is harder and harder to soak those garden beds.

 

 Pumpkins began to ripen...

#wartypumpkin
#peanutpumpkin

Flowers were thriving, but often required twice daily watering

 

 Ropreco heirloom paste tomato produced oodles of tomatoes

#heirloomtomatoes

 

More heirloom tomatoes...  

The daily harvest was literally 20 lbs or more. Wowsers!

#oodlesofheirloomtomatoes 

Fall flowers in full bloom

#blackeyedsusans

September... brought us fading blooms struggling with the heat and drought, while the peppers lapped it up! 

 Cafe au Lait Dahlias crashed to the ground in the wild winds

#cafeaulaitdahlia

 Pink Lemonade Zinnia explosion...

#pinklemonadezinnias

 Late summer veggies and strawberries still going strong

Carrots, peas, beans, and Tri-Star strawberries.

#fallgarden  

 Colourful beets 

#heirloombeets

Chocolate Habanero Peppers

#hotchocolate

 Bhut Jolokia

#ghostpeppers

 Scotch Bonnets galore...

#prettybonnets

October... The end is nigh...

Pink Lemonade Zinnias in fading glory

#zinnias

The raised beds just before we started fall clean up

#gardensfinalgasp

Yummy, spicy turnips

#turniptheheat

Roses with hips

#hippyhippyshake

November... was frosty. 

 Cuttings in the greenhouse

 Kale tastes even better when kissed by frost

#winterkale

 Brussels sprouts

#sprouts

December... weather was blowzy. rainy, frosty... ran the gamut.

Citrus fruits are winter fruits...

This is when they really thrive.

#meyerslemon

  Kumquats, another thriving citrus...

#lovetartkumquats

Potager is ready to start all over again!

Hoping you all had a terrific 2015! 

May 2016 bring you much love, laughter, and great gardening! 

With every deed you are sowing a seed,

though the harvest you may not see.  

Ella Wheeler Wilcox