Near the end of winter every year, my husband and Middle Child start growing seeds indoors. The tiny plants are then transferred to the outdoor garden or pots on the deck at the end of May. Some seeds are started directly in the ground, like green beans, which do very well here. Here are some pictures from this year’s garden, which is sadly winding down.
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Green beans in the back by the window. Various tomatoes, squash and zucchini in the foreground. You know how people always talk about bumper crops of zucchini? We got one singular zucchini. Last year it was zero. We even tried hand pollinating the flowers. It's a bummer because they are so versatile.
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Looking at the garden from the other direction. The two hanging pots are tomatoes, in an experiment with the topsy-turvy method and it worked quite well, except when there was heavy rain. There are also cucumbers growing in the back, which we have very good luck with.
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| If you look closely (top right and bottom left), there are 2 eggplants, another first for this year. Aren't they so cute when they are little? They remind me of the Veggie Tales people. We've had about a half dozen and they are delicious on the grill. |
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My daughter has been trying to grow pumpkins since before we moved here. Animals somehow always get to the seeds, but this year there was luck with this lonely guy. My husband babied it with the netting up off the ground. Then, the vine died.
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| It also had a hole that a bug got into, so the runt is now sitting on our deck table. |
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| Speaking of decks, here are the deck plants. Tomatoes, pepper, and eggplant. People are always shocked at how tall the tomato plants get. |
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| A colorful, bountiful harvest. |
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And on the flip side, my mother-in-law passed away a little over a week ago. Sadly, my husband lost her about 4 years ago when she no longer knew who he was, thanks to Alzheimer's. It's been a difficult few weeks, as there are a multitude of sibling issues that date back 20+ years. The more people I share that with, the more people who tell me their family has a similar dynamic. I guess we all have crazy stories that we can't make up! Fortunately, he has two other siblings that love and support him and vice versa.
Do you have a garden/what do you grow?How are your sibling relationships? |
My condolences on the passing of your MIL, Bijoux; sad too about the family dynamics that always seem to rear an ugly head in times like this. On the other hand, your garden was so delightful to read about! I am always saying I'm going to do something with eggplant and then never get around to finding a recipe for it, buying it at the store, etc. Grilling it though sounded like it was very tasty! How neat too with the variety of veggies grown! Weird though that zucchini doesn't seem to want to grow for you! Enjoy the harvest as long as it lasts!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and his brother have a great sibling relationship. My brother and me have similar views on the world so we get along pretty well. My sister is way out there in differing opinions and all I can say is I'm glad my married niece doesn't live close by to us because I wouldn't be able to get along with her husband, lol. It is a good thing all our siblings live in other states :)
Again, so sorry for your family's loss.
betty
Thank you, Betty. It truly seems that every family has sibling issues. I keep telling my own kids to not let that happen! Grilling the eggplant was so yummy. It developed a creamy texture, which surprised us. So good!
DeleteWow, just from the your first photo, I can see just how MUCH you grow. You have such a green thumb! To me, there is nothing like the taste of homegrown tomatoes. My father would grow them in our yard (the house you saw in the photos) and would make the most delicious tomato, basil and olive oil salads in the summer. However, the ones you purchase in the grocery store, do not have the same good-taste quality. And the ones grown in Florida are the worst - like eating a tennis ball - hard and tasteless. LOL!
ReplyDeleteOMG, and that pumpkin your daughter grew is ADORABLE! And you know how much I love pumpkins! In fact, I just recently bought 4 baby pumpkins from Trader Joe's last week because they have all their Fall items displayed. BTW, your deck looks faaaaaaaaaaabulous!
The photo of the bountiful harvest is picture perfect. What a beautiful photograph!
Sorry to hear about the loss of your mother-in-law. And yes, as you know from our comments shared on my last post, my family too, has a similar dynamic. I have two siblings I haven't spoken to in over 35 years. In fact, it may be closer to 40. And I have to say, I don't miss them. I wouldn't choose them as friends; therefore, I don't choose them as family. My younger brother and I have always been the closest. And still are.
GREAT post, my friend! Have a fantastic week! X
Oh, I don't take credit for the garden. That's my husband and daughter's domain! I just do the cooking with all they harvest. Aren't grocery store tomatoes terrible? I guess they pick them too early or something. And I agree that the Florida ones are the worst!!! LOL!
DeleteAwww....I bet you post some pumpkin photos soon! Can't wait to see your fall photos. I do love our deck, but I swear, every time we plan a party, it either rains or it's like 90 degrees. We just didn't get much use out of it this year. Thanks for your condolences. And I know you can relate to not talking with two siblings. It's sad, but who can take that toxicity in their life? Not us! I'm so glad you have a close relationship with your younger brother. Enjoy your week!
My condolences on the loss of your MIL. I would have never believed it could happen but my family fell apart a few years ago. From what I've heard/read, it happens to most families unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks amazing. I always grow a ton of herbs, a variety of peppers and a number of other veggies. Isn't grilled eggplant amazing? I love the one little pumpkin on the table.
Enjoy the rest of your week and again sorry for your family's loss.
Thank you, Lori. And from the comments so far, it does seem quite common to have a falling out with one or more siblings. I grow a few herbs indoors in little pots in my kitchen window, but really only get much use out of the basil and dill. The grilled eggplant was so rich and creamy. Yummy! Hope you are enjoying some nice weather where you live.
DeleteI normally would buy plants for the garden, but this year I grew them all from seeds. Tomatoes (7 varieties), peppers (2 varieties), and cucumbers (4 varieties) I started indoors. The west were direct seed into the ground. It has been a good garden year. Not quite as many tomatoes as last year, but still put up 25 pints of salsa and about 30 pints of tomato soup. The cucumbers were incredible--with 35 pints of pickles in the pantry. Your husband situation sounds famliar. My mother died 2 years ago and suffered from Alzheimer's, which brought up some sibling issues with my youngest brother.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a large garden, Jeff. Our peppers didn't do great this year as in previous years. We do have quite a few varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, which are always our two best 'crops.' I was just reading the other day that most people do not know the term, "put up." My grandmother always used the word, so that's why I'm familiar. I use up everything that we grow or give it away to friends and family. I hope your sibling issues are resolved, as it doesn't sound like it began that long ago.
DeleteI have two brothers that I tend to avoid. I don't have a specific reason. I just don't like hanging around them. Since my parents are both deceased, there is no reason for us to get together.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that, but it certainly seems to be the norm. My husband says his older sister has hated him since the day he was born. The youngest sister has just done some outrageous things that he has a hard time forgiving.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. And yes, everybody's got something going on in their families. There were 7 of us, 2 died and I speak with one sister and one brother. It's the 3 of us now is the way we look at it and it's okay. Just because you come from the same womb and are raised in the same house means nothing because people change, dna or not. - Now, onto your garden that I absolutely LOVE!!!! Omgosh, all those tomatoes and eggplant... I don't know a lot of people that like eggplant but I love it! - I live in an apt. and I've been wanting to do container planting on my patio for sooo long. Do you have any tips??? My apt. is lower level so I've got a bit of room to sprawl. How many plants per container? Man. I could talk about this forever. Lol... I won't tho. :) You're welcome.
DeleteI’m sorry about the two siblings who have passed. My husband is also part of a 3 sibling ‘team’ vs. the other 2. We joke about it being called a team, but that’s a long story. We get together with them for holidays and have a cousin party for our team. As this has been going on for 20 years, the kids don’t even know their other cousins. It is what it is! I asked my daughter about containers and she said tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers do best. For a large pot, 3-4 small plants, if you start from seed. Or just 2-3 if you buy the plants. Good luck!
DeleteFirst let me offer my condolences to your husband and the rest, on the loss of his mother. I know what that's like! Fortunately my in-laws had been so pointed about their wishes for the inheritances of their three children, there was nothing to argue about -- not that they would have anyway; they are not like that. But it was fair and equitable, everything as it should be. My father died at the age of 37 and left me nothing. My mother died nearly two years ago and it remains to be seen what I and my sister and half-brother and half-sister will receive. I hope it's fair but who knows? My sister and I have a relationship that can best be described as cordial, and I have very little (if any) contact with the other two. So we shall see. Your produce haul is very impressive. I am no stripe of a gardener but my TG tries so hard. We really don't have optimal conditions so it's hit or miss. Congratulations on such a beautiful harvest! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI meant to say, to your husband and the rest of you, hahaa. Apologies. xoxo
ReplyDeleteOK it's me again. Good grief. My sister and I are more than cordial; we love one another. We just don't get much of a chance to interact. During our mother's illness and after she died, my sister seemed mad at me the whole time because Mom asked ME to coordinate all funeral arrangements with Henry, and to create her funeral bulletin (working with a secretary at her church). I did exactly as Mom asked, but still it made my sister mad. It was a tense week. I will never understand it. She wanted her family more prominently featured in the funeral, and mine less. But I did exactly what Mom said. As to inheritance, it is up to Henry. He holds the purse strings and most of it is his money anyway. I'm told that the will is written and I'm sure it will be fair. C'est la vie! xoxo
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny! Thank you for your condolences. I should have stated more clearly in my post that the week was difficult because the five siblings have had issues for decades and it has nothing to do with the estate. My husband is the back up executor, so he’s seen the will and knows what’s supposed to happen. We shall see!
ReplyDeleteWe don’t have great soil here, so a lot is bought and mixed in. Our issue is with heavy rains ruining everything. Thanks for stopping by!
I actually have never grown a garden and I have no excuse! Laziness I guess! Yours looks awesome though and your harvest looks delicious! I have 3 brothers and we pretty much all get along. I came very, very close to never speaking to my youngest brother again when my dad was in the hospital dying and his behavior was atrocious! After he passed (my dad) and all the arrangements were made and done I was grateful to not have to make any more decisions with my brothers again! We don't see each other often but always get together at least for Christmas Eve!
ReplyDeleteOh also my condolences to your husband and your family on the loss of his mother!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeanette. Growing a garden can be burdensome, especially if you travel in the summer. It’s lot of work, but my husband and daughter enjoy it as a hobby. I’m glad you get along with your brothers! People can get a little nutty when faced with death, so it’s understandable, but still super aggravating, I’m sure!
DeleteI'm so very sorry about the loss of your MIL. Alzheimers is a nasty beast that takes our loved ones away too soon. I can't speak to sibling issues since I'm the sole survivor of our small family. I have a feeling if my brother were alive, we would be on the same page about most everything.
ReplyDeleteNo garden for me this year other than growing butterflies. :) Your tomato plants are SO happy. I never did have much luck with zucchini either, but I had eggplants growing out the wazoo....which was mighty uncomfortable.
Thank you, Suz. In the times you’ve mentioned your brother, I’m certain you two would be great friends today. We do have happy tomatoes. It’s been great not having to buy grape tomatoes at the store every week because we really go through them. Watch out for those eggplants! Lol!
DeleteBijoux, I'm so sorry about the loss of your mother-in-law.
ReplyDeleteMy father had dementia and he had trouble recognizing me and my siblings toward the end. And he used to ask for my mother long after her death.
It is a heart-breaking experience and your husband is indeed fortunate to have his siblings.
(Not much of a gardener since I live in an apartment.)
Take care
Thank you, Rob. My father also had dementia and I remember him asking if his father was dead (he had died in 1962). That was particularly heartbreaking. Yes, gardening would prove difficult in an apartment, unless you did containers on a patio.
DeleteExcellent gardening this year, Bijoux. Better luck with the pumpkins next year. I also wanted to send my condolences about the loss of your mother-in-law. We don't garden because we are terrible with plants and I speak to my brother but will probably never speak to my sister again. Some people are worth suffering for but she is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteIt’s so crazy how many people don’t have relationships with siblings. My husband feels the same way you do about his oldest sister. Nope, not worth it.
DeleteWe have a large garden but no vegetable patch as we don't fancy all the tending and nurturing. Our vegetable patch is the supermarket!
ReplyDeleteAs for sibling relationships, I just have the one sister who never communicates with me very much and keeps herself to herself. I know more about my blogmates than my sister!
So, only flowers for you! Which are lovely to me, too. That’s too bad about your sister.
DeleteSo very sorry about the loss of your MIL.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try that topsy-turvy method.
Thanks, Haddock. Good luck with the upside down tomatoes!
DeleteI am so sory to hear that you loss your mother in law ! Alzheimer illness also is increasing here day by day. God protect to all humanity. We dont have a garden but we often buy fresh and healthy vegetables from the gardens, close to us. We are thinking to go picnic and we wil try grilled eggplants.
ReplyDeleteThank you, friend. Local farmer’s markets are great to buy fresh veggies!
Deleteif I had room I would try to grow some plants or vegetables. So sorry about your mother in law. I have 4 brothers and a sister. I only speak to my younger brother. That should tell you something. lol
ReplyDeleteYeah, and I suppose if you tried to put pots next to your front door, they'd be stolen or worse! You seem to be the norm with the sibling relationships!
DeleteFirst off, my condolences on your husband's (and your) loss. Twice over. Alzheimer's is cruel. I lost my grandmother many years before she physically passed away, so I get it.
ReplyDeleteYou know how much Tara is into gardening. More land for that hobby was one of the main factors in us moving to Wisconsin.
I get along pretty well with my brother now, but that wasn't always the case. There was a long period where we had no relationship because he was such a mess. Luckily, he pulled his life together.
Thank you, Mark. Was it hard for Tara to leave her garden before the end of the season? We won’t dig up things here until after Halloween. I’m glad your brother and you had a reconciliation!
DeleteOh, yeah. After all her work to get it started, she hated leaving it behind. The only consolation was, her coworker who bought the house is really into gardening, too. Tara spent about an hour going over everything with her before we left, and apparently, she took good care of it and has been able to harvest quite a bit more.
DeleteThat’s really nice!
DeleteEverything looks so healthy and lush and meant to be. I try to grow a few herbs and some tomatoes, but after that my attempts to grow vegetables are pathetic. I am taking note of your deck plants on wheels, that's a good idea, push those plants around until they grow, dagnabbit.
ReplyDeleteLol, those wheeled plant stands are a must! The pots are super heavy, so it’s easy to move them around that way. I just turned one around this morning because the wind knocked over a plant. Now it’s propped up against the house. One more month and it will all be about over.
DeleteI'm sorry about your mother-in-law's death. Alzheimers is such a cruel disease.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I get along very well now. We fought like cats and dogs as kids/teenagers and into our early 20s, but started getting along in our mid/late 20s and are close now.
The little eggplants are adorable! That's so weird that you've had such bad luck with zucchini. They've pretty much taken over anytime we've planned them. We've never had good luck with cucumbers, though.
I’m glad to hear you and your sister are close. I’m surprised you don’t have luck with cucumbers. They seem to do well here. I have no idea why our zucchini never take. I read that the deeper blossoms are not as easily pollinated, so maybe it’s something to do with that. We don’t have a ton of bees.
DeleteMy deepest condolences to your husband and you for the loss of your MIL. I am also sorry to hear of the strained relations your husband has with his siblings. He is definitely not alone. I have three blood siblings that I have not talked to in ages. I was very close with my older sister growing up, but I haven’t talk to her in over 10 years now. There’s a lot of bad blood between us. It used to bother me especially seeing how close some siblings are with each other, but I’ve learned to make my own family. My best friend is the only sister that I need.
ReplyDeleteI am quite impressed with your garden and all that grew there this year. I only did tomatoes, which did not do so well, and zucchini. The zucchini I was a little worried about because I only got one on the vine this summer. But I just went out there last weekend and see eight more coming off of one plant. So I guess I will get that bounty of zucchini this fall after all. The funny thing is that when I babied the zucchini plant I only got the one zucchini. I gave up on the garden halfway through summer and just let mother nature take its course. Boom. Bounty of zucchini. Go figure.
Thank you, my friend. It certainly seems as though sibling issues is the norm. Fortunately, he had two other siblings that we are close with, along with their kids. We love them to pieces. I only have one brother, no bad blood, but we are not close. My BFF since I was 5 YO is like my sister, so I get that!
DeleteBummer on the tomatoes not doing well. But I’m glad the zucchini came through in the end.
First, condolences to your family, and how sad to read that your husband lost his mother several years ago due to dementia, which is such a devastating disease. My brother is my only sibling and while there were some issues during the last years if our mother’s life, mostly because he and my SIL were in the same state and we had relocated and my mother had health issues. My brother and I never fell out, thankfully, but my SIL was less than pleasant. During my mother’s final days when she was in the hospital in a coma and unresponsive, oddly enough that was when some healing seemed to occur. There were no disagreements over the disposal of her home. My brother and I cooperated on everything as he was the executor and that was fine with me. It’s unfortunate, but seems unavoidable, that many families have long lasting rivalries. Maybe it’s easier that I did not have other siblings.
ReplyDeleteOn a more positive nite, you husband and daughter did great with the gardening. Too bad about the lack of zucchini. We had an abundance when we had a garden in VA, so much so, that zucchini bread became a staple in our home. We also grew pumpkins one year and actually had several survive.
Thank you. It does seem like the more siblings there are, the more chance of issues later on in life. I’m glad you have your brother. It’s strange that we haven’t had any luck with the zucchini for several years now. Pumpkins are fun to watch grow.
DeleteThis year, we also tried to grow pumpkins. So far, I haven't seen any. I think it's the chipmunks' fault.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. My ex-mother-in-law has alzheimers. She is the grandmother of my oldest daughter. She was a larger-than-life person, so it's sad to see her decline. Sending you all love.
Aww, thank you, Kari. My MIL was a high school Spanish teacher and traveler. It was hard to see what she was reduced to. And yes, chipmunks seem to be a major culprit.
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