Our Garden

We had a nice little greenhouse to start seeds

We got started early this year because the weather was so warm so early. I bought a ton of seeds online starting in January, and started reading gardening ideas to see how to improve on last year's garden (which was my first garden ever.) Then, we started some of the seeds the first week of March and kept them in a little greenhouse in front of a window. The boxes at the bottom are wooden wine crates I got from the restaurant where I work. I loved the idea, but I didn't think to seal the wood. Because they were in such a humid environment, I was worried about mold, so I lined them in plastic, but then there wasn't proper drainage, so they didn't work out very well. If I try this again next year, I will seal the boxes and drill holes in the bottom. I think this would be best for herbs or lettuces because they don't have very deep roots.

first planting

In early April, we started the garden. It measures 11'x31' and is surrounded by wood, stone, dirt and netting. I would love for it to all be surrounded by stone, but that's so expensive! Anyway, we bought a few plants from the garden store and put them in the ground this early, even though I was still a little nervous about frost. We planted broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and lettuce, figuring most of these plants could survive the low temperatures.

we gradually added more plants

By early May, I planted the peas and some beans, kale, corn seeds (that never took), a few store bought tomato plants and cucumbers (in the pots in the front right). I think we bought a hot pepper plant or two, and put those in too.

cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts

Within a few weeks, we were eating fresh veggies!!

about 10 different types of heirloom tomatoes

We planted so many tomatoes this year because last year so few made it from seed, so we had no idea how many would take. Well, a lot grew. To support them, we had some tomato cages from last year, but we decided to build trellises for the rest, and as the tomatoes grow, I plan to add more twine.

the garden today

Now that it's July, things have changed quite a bit. We're learning about canning so we can pickle the cucumbers and make sauce with all the tomatoes that will soon be ripe. This picture was taken today while I sat outside with the dog and worked on plans for next year's garden.