Tuesday, August 6, 2013

From Our Garden

We planted a vegetable garden for the first time this year.  It’s fairly small because I wasn’t sure how it would do, or how much we’d be able to keep up with.  Honestly, I had my doubts about the seeds ever sprouting.  I don’t exactly have a green thumb.

My husband’s grandmother definitely does have a green thumb, so she has helped a lot with the vegetable garden.  Were it not for her help I don’t think anything would have made it, but with her help we’ve been fairly successful.

We planted bell peppers, banana peppers, lettuce, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes: cherry, Roma, and heirloom.  The lettuce started off great, but didn’t really do much.  We basically ended up with enough for a small salad.  The squash has been doing fairly well, but even the small ones are full of really big seeds.  I think I will try a different kind next year.  The zucchini has been slower.  I’m not sure why because it was planted at the same times as the squash, and is right next to it.  We’ve picked a few squash, and we now, finally, have one little zucchini.  The banana peppers have done well; we’ve picked about eight of them.  The bell peppers are just coming in now.  We’ve picked one full size bell pepper, and there are lots of baby peppers on the plants.  The tomatoes are thriving!  They’re all doing well, but the cherry tomatoes are almost taking over.  We’ve been making lots of tomato dishes and have been giving tomatoes away as well.  They’re so good, and it seems like more are ripening every day right now.


I’m so proud of our modest gardening success. I’ve never grown actual food before.  I planted an herb garden last year, and that was enough to make me want to try vegetables this year.  It’s just a great feeling to grow your own food.  I definitely want to plant a vegetable garden again next year, and I think it’s going to be a little bigger than this year’s.  




12 comments:

  1. Way to go!! I did a small winter garden last fall and it did not do so well. I completely missed spring/summer gardening. I will try again with another fall garden and see how it goes.

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    1. I'm thinking about trying a fall one. I've been really happy with this one, so it's making me want to try more. Good luck with your fall garden!

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  2. Fabulous job! I long for a healthy garden but alas I have absolutely no skill and envy those who do. I bet those taste even better than they look.

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    1. Thanks! If it hadn't been for all of my Grandmother-In-Law's help I don't think we'd have ended up with anything from the garden. Everything that I would have done on my own turned out to be wrong. I'm so glad she has a green thumb and is willing to help.

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  3. I love having a garden every year and we can and freeze a lot at the end of August. It's a good way to deal with all those extra tomatoes. Think how nice it will be on a cold January night to bring out a can of your tomatoes or to use them to add to your chili or you can even pour them over chicken and bake it in the oven and it is delicious.

    Gardening makes me happy. I think it makes you happy too.

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    1. I've frozen a few things from the garden and the CSA box. I haven't ventured into canning yet. I really don't think we've had enough this year to make it worth the time and effort. Maybe next year. I am looking forward to having the frozen stuff this winter though.

      I think you're right. I never would have guessed that a few years ago, but it does make me happy now.

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  4. Wow! We think you did a wonderful job! Nothing better than fresh produce -- especially when you grew it yourself! :)

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  5. Oh lucky you...my garden has been desolate this year...aside from raspberries which are myriads...

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    1. Raspberries sound amazing! I've never tried berries. From what I hear most the berry crops around here didn't make it due to all of the rain. Maybe next year will be better for them. You've made me want to try planting raspberries.

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  6. I love your produce! We have had a garden for 2 years, and we've not harvested as much as you did this year. Your veggies look great!
    Thanks for coming by the MMW blog I contribute to, and for your nice comments. I replied that I agreed with your points as well. I served on a jury this year and it's a very serious endeavor. You have to follow the law whether you agree with it or not. That's why we have to pay attention to politics a bit - and vote! And you are so right that other teens were killed that day, and the media didn't care about them. :-(

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    1. Thanks! I really don't think we'd have harvested anything if not for my Grandmother-In-Law. She's a wealth of gardening knowledge, and I'm so glad she's willing to share her expertise.

      You're welcome. I thought it was a very well written post.

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