Putting In The Garden

About a month ago, my father pulled into my driveway with a rototiller in the back of his truck. He very kindly tilled a nice patch in my backyard so that we could start a veggie garden. I already have numerous perennial flowers and flowering bushes along the side of the house. I also dug up some of the irises from my parents' yard and planted them along my back fence and around a tree. The flowers really take little to no effort to maintain, aside from a bit of weeding here and there. What I really wanted was a nice veggie garden. I love the idea of being able to walk into my backyard and fetch my own fresh produce. I love the idea of knowing what went into growing my veggies and knowing that they were picked only when they were absolutely ready to be plucked. I also like being able to save a lot of money on my grocery bill, while providing nutrient-rich veggies for the family.
We've planted squash, onions, tomatoes, beets, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, swiss chard, kale, cabbage, green beans and sunflowers. I also hope to plant a winter garden, in the fall. We will enjoy many salads, BLT's and a variety of casseroles.  I selected greens that I knew would be plentiful and grow easily. I hope to make pickles and fresh salsa, as I also have a miniature herb garden.

Those coffee canisters are bottomless. They are being used to support the tomato stems, as they grow.

Each morning and each night, my husband checks the garden to monitor its progress. I check in on it, mid-morning and mid-afternoon when I water it. It's amazing to see how quickly everything is growing! I'll be even more excited when I start to see blossoms on the plants. It is very relaxing, spending time in the garden. My mother always told me how much time her father spent tending to his garden when he wasn't at work. I can see now, why he enjoyed it so much. I'll keep you updated on the progress of the veggie patch. Hopefully, I'll be able to share some recipes of the tasty dishes that I make with my garden delights. In the meantime, I have a few craft projects that I've been working on. I'll share more about that at another time. Until next time~ Toodahloo!