Zero Fruit and Veg Mile - 1st Month

I said I would grow everything and buy only meat, bread and diary for the entire summer. This is not a long after-all.  Proving that there is no need for the food miles if everyone just grew a "victory" garden. Well, today I made 1 month ,and I have not bought a single fruit or vegetable from the store.  I was supplementing my veggies before and I am sure I will be after the 3 months.


So what have I missed, Mushrooms, and Cherries. Beautiful big cherries that are currently in season. The cherries I have a plan for, my 15 University of Saskatoon Romance Cherry bushes are planted, although tiny at under 1 foot high. The idea was a cherry bush hedge "fencing" off part of my garden with the raised beds. Although these are showing some growth as a whole, it may be a couple years till I get any cherries. I tried for a mushroom log, bought the spoors and drilled the holes, inserted spores and plugged with wax. Even this wet spring, it has not worked. So this one will need work.

Ping Tung Long First flower

My Haskaps and Saskatoon’s are also tiny. My other fruit trees (2 apples, 1 Asian pear, 1 persimmon, 2 hazel nuts and 2 mulberry's are only in their second year. My gooseberries and blackberries and blueberries as well. All named cultivars, that I managed to collect, but usually resulting in getting them as far smaller plants. My muscat grapes and hardy kiwi vines as well.   In a few years there should be an abundance of fruit and already gooseberries and blueberries where great.

The fear of failure is a great motivator and I have planted heavily to ensure an abundance. I have over 12 summer squash plants! 3 zucchini (white, portofino -  first to fruit and Fordhook), Sunburst patty pan, 8 ball and straight neck. Last year though, they my neighbourhood was hit heavily by cucumber beetles and they all died early. I also started my tomatoes, peppers and eggplant 2 weeks earlier this year, than last. (it seems to have made no difference)

Japanese beetle damage

This year I tried to growing eggplant (Ping Tung Long) and okra (Red Burgundy) as back-ups and variety. This is my first time growing these 2 veggies, and I am not sure if I am doing something wrong or if they suddenly bulk up?

I would hate one crop failure to result in me breaking the challenge? Already by broccoli and cauliflower was a failure.  Growing organically is an additional challenge. It hit on my how important that same thing was to families in centuries past. A cucumber beetle infestation last year effected even my Gem squash. 3 years ago, before gardening, my garden was heavily attacked by Japanese Beetles. It was the first year they banned spraying your lawns in Toronto, and I put it down to imbalance. This year they seem to be back, not yet to the same levels, but doing significant damage to some plants. just look at what my grapes look like. hundreds of them. Bowl and soapy water time.