growing up is hard to do

With the new signs of life, we decided it was time to prepare the home for our new veggies.  In years past, we tilled up the soil and planted the seeds right into the ground.  Easy enough, but trying to keep the grass from growing in the garden rows and making sure the soil was what we wanted was a nuisance.  I kept seeing ideas for raised beds and thought it would be the perfect plan for our garden this year.

Off to Lowe's we went.  After 2 trailer loads of mulch, soil, and manure compost we were finally able to fill our 14'x14' area. We also put up a garden fence to hopefully avoid wildlife creatures from eating our food.

We spent Saturday and Sunday outside. Enjoying the beautiful weather, and even having a picnic inside the garden space.

I am having to re-germinate my eggplant, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, and bell peppers. None of them germinated--which is beyond me.  Hoping for better luck this round.

And a HUGE shout out to my husband and worked so hard on getting my garden ready.

life has begun

10 days post-planting the seeds, there are signs of life. The Thyme was the first to appear, but today when I checked there was life everywhere. I'm so excited. This is my first time starting in starter pots, so I wasn't sure how things would go. I'm hoping with the warm weather and beautiful sunshine we've had this week will bring more life soon!

in the beginning

I haven't had a summer garden in the past few years and I missed it. Being pregnant and then having a tiny baby makes gardening a little more difficult. So now that our littlest human is 19 months (wowzers), I thought it would be nice to have our garden back. With 3 boys that love dirt, what better way is there to get dirty, plus enjoy the fruits of our fun?!

April 13th I sat on the porch in my PJs and planted my seedlings. I stayed on that porch until 1am, working off the dim lights on the porch and the spring moonlight. 

This year, my goal is to grow enough to sustain us through the summer, and freeze enough to have at least 1-2 nights of fresh veggies through the colder months. We shall see.

Here's the line-up for our summer goodness:

1. Lemon Basil

2. Rosemary

3. Thyme

4. Summer Squash

5. Butternut Squash

6. Zucchini

7. Big Boy Tomatoes

8. Cherry Tomatoes

9. Corn

10. Okra

11. Carrots

12. Jalapenos

13. Banana Peppers

14. Bell Pepper

The Beginnings: