We are fortunate to have an edible landscape, which means almost every nook and cranny has something good to eat. Starting with the asparagus and graduating to ready root crops, our table has been fairly bountiful.  

Growing on the Dirt Farm

In spite of poisoning our small dirt farm, the large dirt farm has been producing nicely. I was able to reseed most of the crops that the herbicide carryover had killed in the little dirt area. The big dirt farm already had fruit trees, raspberry canes, strawberries, and other things that were established. We will have our fill of apples soon and may even get some maypops from the passion fruit vine. The onions have been harvested and cured, while green onions are steadily producing to keep me in their delicate allium flavors. 

A few days ago I harvested carrots, turnips, the onions, and some other root crops that were ready. I planted six kinds of potato, which can be taken as I need them. The potatoes and turnips mashed together were a smash. There is so much basil I have been making and freezing pesto consistently for a couple of months. Many of our crops are so abundant they are going to the neighbors and the food bank. The zucchini that I thought would never produce is giving us more than we can use. However, it’s still the root crops that have really featured prominently on our menu. 

Root Crops

I have always enjoyed vegetable growing. For some reason, in my old location the root crops didn’t produce well. I will chalk it up to the excessive moisture we received. Coastal rains kept the soil too moist, and I would often lose crops due to rot. Here though, we have very loose soil and little rain. That means constant watering, but the roots never stay in soggy soil. In our edible landscape we can count on tons of asparagus grown from roots and traditional root vegetables. For a change, my carrots never fork, but are straight and clean classic specimens. I have Nantes coreless and the multi-colored variety which adds so much liveliness to salads. 

Last year was a bust on our vegetable growing. We weren’t the only ones in the area. Everyone complained about insect issues and poor production. Even though we are much hotter this year, things are coming in well. An edible landscape isn’t a precise science. Some years you get bumper crops, while other years are almost devoid of produce. All in all, this year has been one in which we could fill our produce crisper with delicious options. There will be enough to put up for winter or store in the basement. I have already par-cooked and frozen turnips and other root vegetables. There will be a kiss of summer even in winter. We are blessed and will enjoy this bounty.