Gardening time!
Heat, wind, torrential rains, and poor soil.
Get the shovel!..
The lot in 2008..
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| Panoramic view of the front of the house from the gate. Summer 2018 |
2019 will be the first "true" growing season that we will spend at the house. The house is not entirely finished, but quite livable. In the spirit of community living, the plan is to share this house with extended family members. We are scaling down in spending, even if we are scaling up in the sheer size of the house and yard. The motto would be "downsize spending, upscale good times". Grow healthy stuff, have chickens...As we say in French: "Je le sens bien!"
Although this property has been cultivated for years by T's grandparents, it remained fallow for a long time, used only to tie animals at night.
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| and from the outhouse to the front door. |
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| From the front door to the outhouse, a much needed path. |
In the last couple of years, with the idea of living there permanently, trees have been planted, and tries at basic gardening have been made. Unfortunately, a yearly deep tilling has been done, so my gardener friends will understand my sorrow..Loamy, we are not..
Next spring, however, my master gardener's skills will arrive, and make some sense of this yard of a considerable size of 1000 square meters.
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| From the front bedroom windows to the front gate just to the right of the pic. |
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| Back of the house. Bedroom windows view. View of the grapes that will eventually grow on an arbor above a deck by the kitchen. |
An almond tree has been planted there. Fun! This would be a great place to put in a new laundry line, but this area's destiny is to relay the front gate to the back of the house...for the car! Laundry will go somewhere else..and make place for a driveway!
T has already planted some grapes that will grow to shade the eastern part of the house. The property line lays to the left, at the start of the trees, although this is somewhat disputed, but that is another story..More grapevines have been planted around the periphery of the property, inside, of course, to form a continuous arbor. Very Georgian stuff!
A well has been dug and waters the garden, a much needed improvement.
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| Panoramic from the front door. Front gate to the left of the pic |
So, with the droughts happening more and more on a global scale, the rain storms dropping buckets of water at times on the land, the snowy winters and the scorching summers at the foot of the Lower Caucasus Mountains, the case for a special garden has been established.
Xeriscaping gardening, while utilizing available rain water, as well as the pure spring water coming out of the ground, lasagna raised beds for aging gardeners, core gardening, and of course: WORM compost!!!...And a definite need for shade, an even more pressing need for a greenhouse, a fun place to eat out, and a great place to store products from the garden...I do believe we have some planning to do!
The great thing is that young strong hands will be made to dig. Can't wait! Dig here, plant there, etc..
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| Just for reminders... Our beautiful garden in 2009 in Corrèze. Inspiration 101.. |
Come on, my lovely little workers!
I do hope they have worms in Georgia..Hahaha...
Follow us as we plan, plod and maybe even get results in the next year.
And...not to be forgotten..
The word for garden in Georgian is "bari", and the word for "bar" is "bari"..Yeah, I know, different pronunciation...Whatever!
To me, it means we can garden AND drink, all in one spot! What could be better than that? Non-alcoholic, evidently!!
Summer 2019:
It is clear that Georgians have a different notion of gardening. As it is a communal garden, shared with in-laws, and products going to the WHOLE family, the choices are particular to the cooking of the meals in Georgia. No garden could be without "kitri", or cucumbers, and "rehani", or red basil. They do not grow green basil here, and don't even consider it like a true basil.. Ok...
Zucchini is not a vegetable used in recipes here, so "kabahi" is not to be seeded. Let's note that I have seeded 2 kinds, since my cooking mandates it.
The main question is: Is there water available?
In Koda, our little tiny village, there is a great deal of water, but it is mainly underground. Our first action last year was to dig a well. The water comes in at great speed, it is fresh and so far, abundant. We also have a free source of water at the entrance of our property, although it does not always have water. Sometimes it comes in savagely, other times it is a trickle. Either way, it is constantly attached to a neighbor or another to fill the cisterns used for washing, showering and such.
Yesterday, our neighbor across the way came and commented on our beautiful garden. We do water it with well water and do not have to depend on the fountain out front. I asked her if she grew a garden, and told me no, since she does not have a well and the fountain being so fickle, she could not afford to grow anything, for fear that it would then all die. She does have cows, and chickens, and she makes great "matsoni", or yogurt. I must remember to trade rehani for matsoni later in the season.
Rehani, the red basil, came to us yesterday as a merchant's offering, along with fresh, although somewhat greenish kitri.. He comes to the village, honks his horn and you can pick stuff out of his car such wonders as tomatoes, cukes, and...rehani starts. Since my green basil failed miserably to come up in the ground, and, darn it, I didn't keep any extra seed to start indoors, I grabbed the starts right out of the trunk of the merchant, and put them in the ground in the shade. for fear that I would immediately cook them in the hot sun.
April 2020:
And so it is that life takes over what you had planned...Surgery, in my case, 2 of them. Ever heard of having your tailbone removed? Well, yeah, mine is gone, broken in two places and very, very sore. The recovery is long, arduous, and no fun whatsoever. Surgery 2 on the liver..benign, but not fun either.
This all took place as summer started in June 2019. I have been out of commission for months, but I do believe I am getting better. Unfortunately, it also means that I had to give control over to people who, might I be blunt, know zero about gardening. So, I waited until Feb this year and claimed a part of the lot as my "experimentation garden". And then....Mr Covid-19 made his appearance and just like that, all garden centers closed..Good thing I had a few seeds, so we will...maybe...have tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce. We all hope and wait at home, like the rest of the humans, wait for Mr Virus to give us back the life we had..
Starting a compost last May, as we arrived, was a feat. We were told that mice would come, which would attract dogs, and cats, and snakes.
Well, yeah, there is that possibility, but they wouldn't be here if the goodies
were not there. So, after a long, repeated lesson on what to put in or not, our mulch pile/compost grew. I received comments about the utility of it until I moved the pile last month to MY side of the garden, and there, low and behold, the soil was happy to be covered with a marvelous layer of "almost" done compost, and tons and tons of lovely worms. Since I practice a no-dig technique of gardening, it just ended up as a new bed. It would have been better to make raised beds, but since all stores are closed, it is what it is. Our gentle neighbor also contributed a great pile of cow manure, with the warning that mole crickets might be in it. Our roommates are deadly afraid that they will now invade the whole garden, but chances are, with the thorough going-thru done, we will have zero to none..So far, no problem, and happy veggies..
The lot is looking awesome, I must say. Although a rototiller did make its entrance and tilled a large part of it while I prayed for the micro-organisms within, the result is interesting. We will see.
It was interesting to show the mature worm compost at the bottom of the pile to the roommies, however. Whoa...that looks like rich soil, they said. Mmm...yeah! All mine!!
So, a little snow, a little seed and the results of no garden center open mean that we used what we had, until better days. No dependence on stores can be good, I suppose.
And results we have:
Summer 2019:
It is clear that Georgians have a different notion of gardening. As it is a communal garden, shared with in-laws, and products going to the WHOLE family, the choices are particular to the cooking of the meals in Georgia. No garden could be without "kitri", or cucumbers, and "rehani", or red basil. They do not grow green basil here, and don't even consider it like a true basil.. Ok...
Zucchini is not a vegetable used in recipes here, so "kabahi" is not to be seeded. Let's note that I have seeded 2 kinds, since my cooking mandates it.
The main question is: Is there water available?
In Koda, our little tiny village, there is a great deal of water, but it is mainly underground. Our first action last year was to dig a well. The water comes in at great speed, it is fresh and so far, abundant. We also have a free source of water at the entrance of our property, although it does not always have water. Sometimes it comes in savagely, other times it is a trickle. Either way, it is constantly attached to a neighbor or another to fill the cisterns used for washing, showering and such.
Yesterday, our neighbor across the way came and commented on our beautiful garden. We do water it with well water and do not have to depend on the fountain out front. I asked her if she grew a garden, and told me no, since she does not have a well and the fountain being so fickle, she could not afford to grow anything, for fear that it would then all die. She does have cows, and chickens, and she makes great "matsoni", or yogurt. I must remember to trade rehani for matsoni later in the season.
Rehani, the red basil, came to us yesterday as a merchant's offering, along with fresh, although somewhat greenish kitri.. He comes to the village, honks his horn and you can pick stuff out of his car such wonders as tomatoes, cukes, and...rehani starts. Since my green basil failed miserably to come up in the ground, and, darn it, I didn't keep any extra seed to start indoors, I grabbed the starts right out of the trunk of the merchant, and put them in the ground in the shade. for fear that I would immediately cook them in the hot sun.
April 2020:
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| but first, let's have a bit of local fare.. |
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| snow fairy |
Well, yeah, there is that possibility, but they wouldn't be here if the goodies
were not there. So, after a long, repeated lesson on what to put in or not, our mulch pile/compost grew. I received comments about the utility of it until I moved the pile last month to MY side of the garden, and there, low and behold, the soil was happy to be covered with a marvelous layer of "almost" done compost, and tons and tons of lovely worms. Since I practice a no-dig technique of gardening, it just ended up as a new bed. It would have been better to make raised beds, but since all stores are closed, it is what it is. Our gentle neighbor also contributed a great pile of cow manure, with the warning that mole crickets might be in it. Our roommates are deadly afraid that they will now invade the whole garden, but chances are, with the thorough going-thru done, we will have zero to none..So far, no problem, and happy veggies..
The lot is looking awesome, I must say. Although a rototiller did make its entrance and tilled a large part of it while I prayed for the micro-organisms within, the result is interesting. We will see.
It was interesting to show the mature worm compost at the bottom of the pile to the roommies, however. Whoa...that looks like rich soil, they said. Mmm...yeah! All mine!!
So, a little snow, a little seed and the results of no garden center open mean that we used what we had, until better days. No dependence on stores can be good, I suppose.
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| first thinning of the spinach |
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| the almond tree in bloom |
It looks like spinach likes it here, winter spinach that is.
Spinach in georgian is "ispanikhi". Not too bad. Got it!
Black seeded lettuce is ok too. Thinning and relocating up next.
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| the grape arbor is ready! |
Carrots are minuscule and full of early weeds. To be manipulated with caution..Radishes are plentiful already. Cilantro is coming on strong.
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| the wedding party |
We decided to put our tomatoes in the ground. After digging a large hole, filling it with compost, and making a teepee above it, we planted them. Then came a long week of unexpected wind, tons of rain, and a little cold..They are making it, waiting for the sun to come out. For the occasion, I covered them with beautiful sheers. Yes, looks like a wedding party just arrived in the garden! Whatever works!
June 1st, 2020:
Today, I joyfully planted our passionflower, bought yesterday in town. I have wanted one for a long, long time..
I also thinned our carrots and beets, and yes, we do have a few roots in there! We ate a medley of new mini new potatoes, fresh pea pods, baby carrots and a few chopped beets, topped with the fresh onions greens. It feels good to come out of the garden with a great big head of lettuce, and all those sacrificed babies.
So, yeah, the morning was pleasant. And then the hale came, the size of ping pong balls, the winds, and the torrential rains. We have yet to see our poor tomatoes, cukes and other goodies. I don't dare..Frankly, it really makes me want to build a greenhouse, and to just garden indoors. It always ends that way here. Decapitated tomatoes, zucchini leaves that look like Swiss cheese, and in a month, it will be roasting temperatures, wild rain storms.. The land of extremes. My poor passionflower is under a massive rain shower as I write this. The plants here have to be tough! We will see who made it tomorrow in the sunlight.
Did I mention tomorrow, I wanted to buy strawberries to make jam? The village down the road has some great fields. Last year, we had the exact same scenario. We said: "Tomorrow, strawberry shopping!" and it haled all night. Not a single jar of jam made. Yikes! It will have to be apricots, if they managed to escape this storm.
So, the greenhouse is one of our main projects. Due in December. We have been saving Naberlavi bottles for months! What for, say you? Well, it is another post, another day.
January 2021
We escaped 2020! The virus chased us all the way to the US. The garden season is in the planning mode. By April, I will be ready with a ton of seeds. It is supposed to be a surgery-free year. Ah, yes...
Our grapes were magnificent!
Our grapes were magnificent!
Our marani, or wine cellar is under construction..more soon on that topic.
So glad you came to visit.
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