Love To Garden: The Pandemic Plot

I think we can all agree that it’s been a particularly weird year.

“Weird” is the kindest way to describe how this global pandemic has impacted so many aspects of our lives.

There was one positive outcome for me, as my “pandemic plot” was a success. And I don’t mean a plot to overtake the world. I mean my little garden plot, which was a bit different in the Covid environment.

That’s because in the spring, I wasn’t even sure that greenhouses would be open. So I started all but one of my plants from seed, with some pretty good results.

I call it the pandemic plot.

*Seedlings were in most of the windows of the house in early spring.*

I bought seeds at the small town Co-op, and made do with what they had in stock, growing whatever they had. I ordered some other seeds, but since I had to wait for them, those plants had a shorter growing season. I can start them earlier next spring.

Most of my little seedlings sprouted, giving me a robust array of plants. The only thing I purchased was one pack of marigolds from a plant sale in our little nearby town, but everything else came from a seed that I started, either inside or direct to the garden.

*The garden shortly after seeds were planted and the seedlings were transplanted.*

It was a real source of pride and enjoyment for me. I love the garden every year, but this year seemed extra special.

I even planted vegetables in the front pots that are usually reserved for flowers. Why bother with flowers in the front yard? I had flowers in pots out back where we spend most of our time, but decided to take advantage of extra growing space, and the veggies loved the sun and heat in the front yard.

I replaced the flowers with a massive zucchini that produced so much that we took to making all kinds of new items, like a delicious zucchini relish.

*The zucchini was often mistaken for rhubarb, because it grew even bigger than this!*

Another pot grew jalapeños and another took on tomatillos, a new experiment for me that I’ll have to start early next year to take full advantage of the summer heat. Some of my herbs returned but I planted other herbs from seed.

*The tomatillos thrived in the summer sun and heat of the front yard.*

I even bought a mushroom growing kit and grew oyster mushrooms inside, and got into sprouting, which can carry on into the winter months. I got some leaf cutter bees to pollinate the plants. I’ve brought a few of my plant pots inside to see how they’ll do, with parsley and oregano in a sunny window and peppers in another.

With so much to be disappointed about in this strange year, at least I had the pandemic plot in 2020 to bring extra joy over the summer months.