On a Rainy Day...

What do you do when your a gardener trapped inside on a rainy day?

Start to think about next years garden.

I am less than satisfied with the results from the potager this year.  True, it did not turn into the jungle it usually does.  I can actually walk through it this year.

The challenges this year were the weather and bugs.  From the hoards of of earwigs, to the ever present gnats, to the tomato pin worms it has been a tough year.

I don't know why, buy when I start to plan my gardens there is always a theme involved.  Right now I'm thinking of taking my mothers advice and going "back to my roots", no pun intended, and planting an Italian garden.

I'm already picturing the fence draped with Romano and annelino beans, cucuzzi and white cucumbers.  The beds would be filled with escarole, endive, dandelion chicory, arugula and lettuce.  Frying peppers in red, purple and gold, basil, flat leaf parsley, broccoli raab and long red onions would round it out.  There is also an area nearby with purple artichokes and cardoons.

Of course there would be flowers too.  Pastel zinnias for cutting, Dolcissimo petunias in mouthwatering shades and ruffled pansies as exotic as orchids would over flow the edges.

I can make this a reality if the weather would let me finish the expansion, the damned tree of my neighbors that shades the back portion would vanish and one of the local farmers would let me keep a cow or two in this area for the fall.

You may notice that tomatoes are absent from this vision.  The fusarium, wilt and hoards of tomato pin worms are to blame.  I'm going to keep them out of this area for a year or two.

 I won't mention another vision where the area is filled with baby vegetables...