It was such a lovely spring day, and the birds were singing, the lambs were growing visibly with each feed, the sky was blue and all was right in the garden.
So still without my list I wandered about aimlessly wondering what to do. And then I remember my yams – Oca or oxalis tuberosa to be precise. I had set them aside to chit like I do with spuds a couple of months ago and they had sprouted some fine looking sprouts. But they couldn’t stay in my craft room forever. But I had nowhere to put them. You’d think with 29 beds I’d find somewhere, but alas no. All space is accounted for.
Besides, from my previous attempts at growing these puppies, they tend to linger. If you don’t get out all the tubers then, they will come back the following year – just like spuds, only worse! They keep coming each year until you have finally managed to weed them out and then you say you’ll never grow them again. That is until a couple of years pass and you have forgotten how invasive they can be – well they are related to that dreadful weed Oxalis! And you see them in the store and think – I should grow those – it will be fun! Haha. I laugh at my own ineptitude.
But not this year – fool me once! Well actually twice. But this year I have a plan. I am developing a wee corner of my garden that I am beginning to refer to as my Invasive Corner, where each mini bed has things that once you plant you just can’t get rid of. But that is ok here. They are contained within their space and they can go as crazy as they want, and all it will mean for me is a perpetual harvest, instead of weeding forever! In this corner I have Cape Gooseberries – or Ground Cherries, because they can come back from the back from the dead each year in my garden, Jerusalem artichokes as you can never dig all of these guys up, and now yams!
I wonder what else will grow in Invasive Corner. I planted horseradish in my herb garden and then the following day I heard from two different sources to be careful as they are invasive. But I’d already done it. However they don’t seem to be posing much of a problem because I think I killed them. I can’t find them anywhere in my herb garden at all!
Come again soon – I really must get on to that list, I have a nagging feeling I’m forgetting something.
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Love the new header–getting to see your whole spread, including the new greenhouse!
Thanks Sharon, I hope I remember to change it every month so everyone can see the seasons change. Sometimes it surprises me how much of a difference a month can make.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Awesome post Sarah
Thanks Linda
Funny my permanent plants end up in my flower garden because I don’t really own my garden and I try to keep those on my own land.
Hi Lucinda. I think I can consider my flower gardening to be a bit of a failure. It takes just as much hard work, but you can’t eat flowers! Although planting veggies in a flower garden would be a great way to sneakily extend the veggie garden! Cheers Sarah : o )
I think it is some gardening rule that no matter how many raised beds you have, it’s never enough!
Hi Virginia. I am really blessed to have enough space to stretch my garden into. I have also heard it said that greenhouses are the same and are never big enough. I found out the other day that my greenhouse can be extended easily should I need too… in the future….
Cheers Sarah : o )
I’d be in trouble if we had greenhouses that could expand. I wouldn’t have any back garden left!
I am having to stifle my loud guffaws at that picture of those yams… they appear to be surrendering with their hands up! ;). A great way to start the day and hopefully our jerusalem artichokes invade Poland and grow mental. So far they haven’t bothered to put up shoots but I am hoping that they take over the garden bed that I have planted them in. Same goes for ANY food crop here on Serendipity Farm. If you can eat it, and it will grow like a weed…IT’S IN! :). Are you forgetting Christmas again Sarah? 😉
Hi Fran. Christmas thoughts won’t be re-entering my head for at least another couple of months. I have many birthdays to get through first.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Our birthdays are all over except for Earl who has his in November so its full steam ahead to Christmas for us…EEK! 😉
EEK! Zombie Yams emerging from their tiny graves! 😉
Just as well I have a pitchfork at the ready!
Cheers Sarah : o )
I know what you mean Sarah – tiny bits of sweet potato I missed when I cleared my plot a few months ago are now making their presence felt. I can see little shoots coming up – and sweet potato really knows how to take over a small country.
Fran, you are making me laugh.
Hi Jean. I guess there are some things you really have to learn the hard way to fully appreciate the extent of the problem!
Fran has such a wonderful sense of humor!
Cheers Sarah : o )