A Bountiful Harvest?

This little amount of butternut and acorn squash, one ripe and one unripe pumpkin plus a handful of cherry tomatoes and tiny bell peppers, about 8 cucumbers and maybe 5 yellow squash and perhaps one meal's worth of bush beans and broccoli and a lot of lettuce (not pictured) were all that grew from the many seeds I planted in my garden this year. (Actually, I had tons of beans and broccoli but I didn't get out there and pick it when I should have).

However, I am amazed! I did virtually nothing to these plants! (I was throwing my attentions elsewhere - also pictured protecting the bounty! He is certainly thriving!) I occasionally watered them even though it was a dry summer compared to last year. Almost everyday I peered out the window to see their large leaves wilted under the heat. Poor things. I didn't give these plants any fertilizer except when I planted them - I threw an unmeasured amount of compost in the hole. All the squash and pumpkin vines were being eaten alive by a squash borer but they continued to grow, even up into a tree-like weed that grew 15 feet overnight! In fact the largest butternut squash I found at eye level hanging on a branch of that weed-monster. The butternut squash vines, despite their boring intruder, grew to at least 15-20 feet! The leaves were mottled and unhealthy looking but they still managed to produce about 10 butternut squash. I had completely given up on the acorn squash. In fact I thought they were dead. Then suddenly, there were four little squashes! They grew to a healthy size and the plant even looked healthy.

Here is my herb "garden." It was actually quite productive even though I didn't do anything to it either, literally, even less than with the vegetables. It is hard to tell here but I grew basil, oregano, marjoram, mint, chives, and parsley all around one of my knockout roses that I also did nothing with except to cut some flowers every now and then. I also have a pot of rosemary and sage but they aren't pictured. I found that the more I picked my herbs, the better they grew. They got fuller and greener. So the more I picked, the more there was to pick!

Even though I didn't get nearly as much produce out of my garden as I could have I certainly got enough herbs and winter squash to last a long while. Not bad for doing so little. I don't write all this to show how much you can get away with by doing very little. Not in the sense that I want to share that as a life lesson. And this is nothing to boast in or be proud of because I did nothing. And I certainly don't take pride in doing nothing.

I simply want to encourage you that growing vegetables isn't too hard. Granted, it can be extremely time consuming and you will hopefully have a huge harvest to show for it. But on the other hand, if you are just wanting to try it out and don't have a whole lot of time, you might actually get something for a minimal amount of labor and lots of enjoyment. It is so fun to go out and see a pumpkin on your vine!

I think winter squash, cucumbers, herbs and lettuce are about the easiest things to grow with little effort. However, I have never been able to grow herbs from seeds! I just buy the tiny plants early in the spring. If you bring them inside during the winter, they will stay alive and then you won't have to buy again the next year. Also, don't plant too many things. That seems to be my problem each year so that it is all too much to handle and none of it gets the attention it needs. Pick a few things, become an expert in them and then add something else after a couple of seasons. (I need to take my own advice in this!)

So go for it and be delighted in the fruits of your labor, whether it be a lot of fruit with a lot of labor or a little fruit with a little labor!