Clueless As Always

So I was mulching the perennial garden today. What I love so much about perennials is the way they come back year after year and all you have to do is welcome them. A little mulch, some organic compost and VOILA! Beautiful plants all season long.

The vegetable garden is another story. It takes a lot of work for me to produce really ANYTHING worth eating, although last year I had an abundance of arugula and just not enough uses for it. The result is that it bolted (or grew flowers) which makes the leaves taste really bitter and basically unusable. I didn't collect the seeds from the plants and didn't purchase new ones because I had an overabundance of the stuff from just one packet of seeds! The surprise happened when I started weeding the overgrown patch of garden that I use for vegetables; the arugula has grown back and is EVERYWHERE! Almost the entire vegetable garden is covered in arugula, which by the way has bolted and is flowering everywhere. All this time I thought there were just a lot of weeds encircling the enormous butterfly bush in the center of the garden. And don't get me wrong, there are a TON of weeds, too. But the most prolific plant in the garden by far is the arugula, which, mind you, I dind't plant.

I am impressed with Mother Nature's ability to recharge herself. I had no idea that arugula was a perennial or that it was so hardy. Although I can't really eat it now, I'm wondering if I can collect the seeds to save for next year. It's possible I've discovered a really amazing spot to grow arugula and that I could use it as a cash crop. I have several crops that have become so abundant that I'm actually thinking about opening a stand at the Farmer's Market this summer. I can't believe I'm saying that, either, but between the sage, lavendar, lamb's ears, arugula and the black-eyed Susan...all of them have taken off and become so abundant that I can't fit them in the garden and I can't use all of it either. It certainly wasn't a position I expected to find myself in, but if I can do it, I will be THRILLED!

If this works out, I might actually consider purchasing the bee hive.

Yep, that's the next threshold for me...bees. I want this suburban home to be a little organic farm. Seems like I'm on the right track....