This year is going to be different from other years, because I'm going to be away from home much of the time, working up at the church we're renovating. I've been trying to think of ways to maintain the vegetable garden at home by planting things that need less frequent care and attention. I need to grow food, because a) I love it, b) it's healthy, c) the cost of food is going up, and d) I like the security of being able to provide at least some of my own. But it needs to be stuff that can fend for itself while I'm away.
Root vegetables like beets, carrots, and onions are easy and self-babysitting. Maybe even potatoes and sweet potatoes, so long as the layering happens now and then. The rhubarb can stand to wait a bit between harvests. Hard squash like spaghetti squash, butternut, and pumpkin would be fine. Cabbages and broccoli take a long time to mature. Dry beans, of course, because they don't need anything at all until harvest time in the fall. Maybe even peppers, since they mature slowly. But I'll have to avoid the short-term stuff like leafy greens, peas, green beans, and tomatoes (I still have a ton of them preserved from last year anyway). They require frequent harvesting.
The asparagus, of course, is already in and doing its thing, so that's unavoidable. I'll have to ask my husband to harvest that daily if I'm away. The raspberries, ditto, unless we just leave them for the birds this year. And the watering can be set on a timer.
So I think this year's garden will be pretty low-maintenance, other than occasional weeding, but will still produce much of what I want to eat. The garden has always been my sanctuary and happy place. With some thoughtful planning, it can remain so this year too, even with some selective neglect.
Some photos from past years:
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