Garden 2022

Since 2020, I've been creating a write up on how my garden went over the course of each year.

This year things were a bit different, because we moved!

Here we have almost 3 acres, where the previous owners had planted >100 fruit trees and perennials.

It's the end of the year here now in November 2022, just 1 year and a month since we moved in. Over this past year I've been dedicated to observing, identifying and learning.

For the sake of the previous owners, and for myself I don't feel right forcing my vision on what everything should look like right away. For that reason, I've made minimal changes to the landscape and the trees.

We did try our best to grow some veggies/annuals in a small garden. Honestly though, this went way worse than we were expecting. Thinking back about all the things that went wrong, it's kind of demoralizing, so I'll spare you 😅

We ended up with some squash

Zinnias

There were also snapdragons, kale and bok choy which did well.

70% of what we seeded ended up dead whether from bad potting mix, to planting directly into mulch, lack of watering etc.

I'm grateful for what did succeed which leaves me with some pride to hold onto as a gardener.

What really blew us away was the sheer amount of fruit we were able to get from the trees which were already there. It's humbling contrasting how much we worked to try to create the small annual garden, with the abundance which was just built into the property, waiting to ripen and be picked. Brady and Brandon, you have our sincere thanks for planting the trees 🌳

Our first fruit from the fruit trees, Early August

The white peaches were delicious! Many were preserved by dehydrating, or freezing.

About a dozen pears harvested total from 2 trees. We savored them given the limited quantity for eating out of hand.

2 Wheelbarrows full of apples all through October. Many were frozen and dehydrated, and a good portion were juiced for cider making.

The naturalistic beauty of the landscape is one of my favorite parts of the land. I tried my best to capture any moment and season of bloom throughout the year.

Lupine, absolutely photobombed by thistles

Crown vetch

Milkweed

The front garden with lily, mint and several other things I haven't identified yet 🙂

Soap wort I believe, with queen anne's lace in the forefront

These are two of my favorite pictures. There are so many layers represented, composed of wildflowers and trees. It's a wild look, but there is a lot of character here.