You can't keep a good plant down~

They're back!

It's been 11 days since hail, torrential rains and violent winds whipped through my little Wabi Sabi Garden.  My plants took a beating and I was uncertain what the survival rate would be. This morning, while doing my morning chores, I perused the garden paths, and discovered some "Ultimate fighters". Plants that have raised a fist at Mother Nature saying, "You can't keep a good plant down!".
Like after any fight, some are not as pretty as before, I see so much fight in them, a desire to be something delicious and healthy for my table. The new growth from my tomato plants alone is truly  remarkable (really). They were sticks a couple weeks ago. Now...perhaps it will bare fruit, perhaps not. They are resilient to say the very least.  I have seedlings of beets, radishes, greens, scallions, baby romaine and mesculin greens that are poking their first leaves above the ground. Though the storm seems to have knocked some contenders out of the ring, I feel it adds to the simple randomness that is nature, the Wabi Sabi feel I love~

Recovery: Tomatoes, Eggplants

They may not be pretty...but there is hope!

Recovery: Beets, Scallions, Radishes, Carrots, Baby Romaine, Mesculin Greens

The Mesculin Greens seem to have floated to the middle in one big bunch

Recovery: Strawberry Plants

I have even seen a strawberry raise it's weary head, it's gone now and think a local avian friend had a lovey breakfast

Recovery: Herbs

Basil, Rosemary, Parsley, Chamomile, Globe Basil and a wee chive! The come back kids

Fails: Cucumber, Melons

This poor Cucumber with his friend Mr. Rogue Spinach is struggling. I am sad for him. Mr . Rogue is just happy to have a friend~

Lemon Cucumber and Minnesota Midget Cantaloupes are suspiciously absent . Their little radish friends are lonely.

Happy little beets!

All in all, I am pretty stoked about my little fighters, and proud they stuck it out. I do have one bed that was completely destroyed, however, there are new seedlings to be transplanted soon to replaces my losses. Baring anymore violent visits from Mother Nature, I do believe I'll be eating pretty well by August! *Crosses Bits*

Happy Gardening...The Wabi Sabi Gardener~

Carnage, destruction, disappointment

I recently posted a quote on some social network that inspired me. It goes something like this,

 "Each morning when we awake, we have an opportunity to create our day with what inspires us most"

I am trying to live by this statement. I feel in order to find the one thing you desire most you must look for it each and every day in all that you see, do and feel. A couple of days ago I wrote a post about my 'Wabi Sabi Garden'. I had a sense of accomplishment that day and pride that comes from hard work, sweat and a sore back. This garden project is what has inspired me since seed catalogs started arriving on my door step in February. The thought that I may be confident and competent enough to grow some of my own food was in and of itself inspiring. 

Well, sadly, Mother Nature decided to roar through my little piece of heaven last night while I blissfully slept, dreaming of fresh tomato and herb salad. (Not really, but it sounds good, yes?). 

Pea sized hail, torrential rain, and wind pummeled my garden last night. What was left in it's wake is devastating.  

What was once a beautiful batch of Tomato plants

My little corner of greens...splat! I am certain nothing survived
time to re-seed.

My newest bed didn't too much above ground, it may be able
to be saved

This tomato plant is flooded. a small tomato stick floating
in a pot of mud

I can honestly say, I have no idea what to do now. I suppose I will wait for it to dry out a bit and make a better assessment of the damage and try to salvage what I can. Then, it's back to square one. I can't plant tomato seeds at this point, and may have to buy some plants. Greens can be replanted, (they weren't doing that great anyway). Radishes grow quickly and plants might see this as a cleansing and grow with intense enthusiasm, shaking a fist at Mother Nature!

Front yard tomatoes stripped, nasturtiums flattened
Any seedlings are history. Just maybe some
will still pop. Not holding my breath

My little Cucumber plant has seen better days. I have hope for it's survival

I consider myself a strong person. But today I feel somewhat defeated. I have not cried nor thrown a tantrum (though the "Why me" wailing fit rage did cross my mind of a hot second).  I'll just try to look at the bright side...I won't need to water today. To be continued...

My Wabi Sabi Garden~

Wabi Sabi, a term meaning  "An aesthetic that is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent and incomplete 

I just finished the morning watering and looked around my Garden and thought, this is so me.  There is really no rhyme or reason to my gardening technique due simply to the fact that my skills are somewhat limited for the time being, but right now...it works for me. 

Imperfect.  It is certainly that. Every gardener sometimes dreams of a space that is weed, varmit and bug free. I know this isn't reality.  My feeling on this is I could follow all the guidelines in all the resources available to me and still not have the 'perfect' garden.  What is perfect is that I am learning about vegetable gardening by just doing it. Yes, I have read many books, blogs and the like and everyone has different tricks of the trade to make their gardens  grow. There is some amazing people out there that have done some amazing things and I am in awe.  It has been a constant learning process.  I will never have perfection because I think it doesn't exist.  I am not perfect, so why should my garden be? 

Impermanent. Yes my garden is transient. I am sure plants will be moved and changes made throughout this  entire experiment.  I am certain of one thing.  Not everything will flourish where it is planted. I have 'stuffed' so many plants, seedlings and seeds in to one place in the hopes that something will say "hey! I like it here".  Everything is not in perfect rows or spaced properly and I am sure that is a gardening  faux paux of some sort, but it's just how I roll.  Nothing is permanent.  Change is good.  Learning along the way...priceless.

Incomplete. Yes my garden is that. Every day I spend time outside admiring all the work that has been done over that last two months and think, 'Wow...that is something'.  I have also learned that a garden is never completed completely. You are never DONE.  I too am a constantly changing and growing individual and so are my plants. We share this bond my plants and I. We are nourished, watered, grow strong roots and blossom in to something beautiful when our time comes.  This is life. Everything has it's time.

So,  yes. My garden and I share the same aesthetic. It is not what I envisioned in my head at the beginning of this project, but it's what came out of my head in the process that surprised me.  My Wabi Sabi mind created just that...my Wabi Sabi Garden.

 I have planted eight tomato plants,  two eggplants,  a bell pepper plant and some radishes strewn around to fill in the bare spots~

I have a small herb garden that I have stuffed six basil plants, some parsley, oregano, rosemary, a chive or two and a chamomile plant. Yep...it's stuffed, but in my opinion...one can never have too many herbs!

Behind the dreaded tree that took over my last attempt at gardening has had the large root removed has now been decorated with Nasturtiums, and a couple potted flowers. The bed behind the tree is full of micro greens, lettuce and spinach. Yes it's stuffed! 

This is the newest addition to the yard. Yes another bed freshly planted with seeds and plants just yesterday.  I have beets, carrots, radishes, romaine lettuce, one snap pea plant, a cherry and banana pepper plant, bunching onions and a rosemary plant in the center. With my Mother's artistic eye we planted somewhat of a design. I am so curious to see how it turns out!

This bed in my front yard is my statement. I am attempting to grow veggies in the front yard...I know...Gasp! This little bed was not approved by the HOA, so I am hoping it will be beautiful and productive. *fingers crossed*

I added the edging to see if it would help keep the rabbits out. No such luck, but that is a whole other post! It is crammed with greens, beets, carrots, a few tomatoes, nasturtiums, mint..( a supposed rabbit repelent...Bah!) and some cabbage and eggplant. 

Welcome to my Wabi Sabi garden. It's most certainly all these things, imperfect, impermanent and incomplete~