Garden FAIL

Remember when I planted a garden? Even though all previous plant experiences had been a bust? Even though I was very pregnant and only about to get more pregnant? Even though I was about to get very distracted by a co-dependent tiny human? Yeah, that didn't end well.



I've gotten a few cherry tomatoes out of it and one pepper. While this is pretty much a 4x4 disaster zone (Like so much of the rest of our yard, but that's another story.) at least it's a start. I'm really optimistic that next year I will try again. And maybe someday I'll keep up with my garden for a whole summer. Maybe even a fall planting. I'll take it one summer at a time.

Our Garden is Growing!!

On Thursday I planted our garden and I must say, I'm ridiculously proud of it. For someone whose idea of enjoying the outdoors involves drinking on patios and whose idea of getting "my hands dirty" involves a sewing machine or glue gun, I feel like this garden is a big step in the direction of...I don't know...the direction of facing my bug fears in the name of cheap, readily available, quality produce?! Lee measured, placed the large metal rods and tilled up the ground, but I did everything else. And it turned out awesome.



The tomatoes and peppers we'll be growing from transplants starting next month (like my chart told me to), but here is everything else, neatly planted and labeled in their square foot of space.



To protect my pride and joy from squirrels/rabbits/opossums/mice, I fenced it in with some chicken wire. Only cut myself twice! I'm particularly proud of the fence. It seems so handy of me. I also sprinkled cayenne and pepper around the edges because I've heard that helps too.

As of today, the cilantro and broccoli were sprouting!! Despite the fact that my container plants have failed in the past, I seem to be a natural at in-the-ground gardening.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I've made a few sad attempts at gardening over the past couple years. Despite my lack of success with growing my own foods, I've decided to not let that stop me and this year we are expanding! After all, year 1 the apartment balcony was shady, and year 2 I didn't water. So this year, with sun and watering, I'm hoping to reap a successful harvest.

We've decided to do a 4x4 square-foot garden without the raised bed to save money on buying all the soil. We did get some manure to mix in with our current soil to increase its quality.

Here's our little spot, waiting for its manure, seeds and transplants!

And here's the current planned layout.



If all goes well this year, I'm hoping to expand into more root vegetables next year, like carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic.

Welcome Spring

When we moved into our house last summer, I decided we would ignore the yard for the first year to focus on the sprucing up the inside. Sadly, this means our yard looks kind of poopy. I feel sorry for our neighbors who have to look at our yard. I feel sorry for the previous owners because I think I've killed most of the plants they spent so much time cultivating. (Although I was planning on digging them up and doing something different anyways.)

We have plans to clean it up this spring. Dig up some stuff, plant some stuff. Lee has declared war on the crab grass and will not rest (well, I'm sure he'll rest a bit) until it is all gone. I'm hoping to have an herb garden and maybe some berry bushes but I've heard those are tricksy.

But despite the way we've let the yard run amok, some flowers have managed to pop up. I have no idea what they are, but they're pretty and bring a smile to my face. Welcome Spring!

Harvest

Remember my "vegetable garden"? Okay, it was just a tomato plant. The last time we saw it the tomatoes were about the size of large pearls. They made it to about the size of ping pong balls, and after several weeks of seeming like they would never turn red...


They did! I was so proud of them! Even more than I was of myself.


Apparently I'm not good at remembering to water them. Oops? I thought that's what the rain was for, but apparently it's been a dry summer. I was just trying to make sure I didn't over water them, which I'm sure is equally dangerous.

Lee got me a book on organic gardening so hopefully next year the tomatoes will be bigger and less droopy. I'm already working on a too-large list of items for next year's garden: potatoes, garlic, basil, parsley, rosemary, lavender, cucumbers, spinach, green onions, green beans...

Flower Concerns

I've declared that next year will be the Year of the Landscaping at the house. That could change depending on how the interior progresses this year, but next year I would like to evaluate the landscaping.

The main goals of this landscaping evaluation are:
1. To start a vegetable and herb garden.
2. To make sense of the random bushes/small trees strewn about the yard.
3. To remove floral items from outdoor sitting areas.

Why move around the flowers, you ask? They're pretty!

But I don't like bees. Or anything that stings. Or really anything that qualifies as a pest: moths, "critters" (I inherited these phobias from my mom, who hates starts-with-"sp"-and-rhymes-with-"riders" to the point of insisting we just call them "critters".), june bugs, mosquitoes, flies, etc. My general attitude toward nature is best summarized by this:

As I've lamented how to enjoy flowers and outdoor areas, while avoiding bees as much as possible, I've decided to move all the blooming things away from the deck and patio. Which means that the rose bushes can stay since they run along the side of the house, but the lilac bush, right up against the desk, is going to have to move. Possibly to the fence. And I've already been pricing organic pest control.