The summer after Herm and I got married I wanted to plant a garden. But up until that point I had managed to kill every house plant and potted plant I owned. So instead I erred on the side of caution, opting to help my mom out with her canning and freezing in exchange for some of the produce.
My mom was generous and I was working full time, which meant I got the better end of the deal. She did most of the work, and we still enjoyed the fruits, or rather, the vegetables of her labor.
My hopes were up again for last summer, I still wanted to try gardening, specifically with raised beds. Spring was a busy season and the beds were never built. I planted a few tomatoes in pots and grew peppers and herbs in among the flowers in my flowerbed... and for that busy season of life, it worked.
As winter was fading into spring this year, I placed my request again for two 4' x 8' boxes. Gardening was on the list so I was determined, this year more than ever before, to make it happen.
My mom lent a few books to me, and shared some sage advice on what dirt mixture to use and a few other techniques on how to have beautiful, weed-free, moist soil.
Following her advice I stopped at a local nursery for peat moss and vermiculite, and then worked out a deal: I would muck out my brother's horse barn in exchange for free manure. He didn't argue with me. Equal parts of those items are what make up the soil in the beds.
Some time, maybe next year, I would like to start a lot of the plants from seed, but this year I picked up all of the plants at local greenhouses. So far I have two kinds of tomatoes, onions, basil, two kinds of peppers, spinach, sage, lavender, and three kinds of lettuce planted. I would like to plant one more variety of peppers and a few cucumbers in the remaining space.
My grandma is always generous with green beans and peas and potatoes, so I figured I will get those from her. And squash and zucchini multiply like rabbit families, which means every roadside stand I pass will be selling them for next to nothing.
I will keep a list of everything I plant this year, and make notes for next year, as I figure out what we want more or less of.
And in the mean time? Well, let's just say I might be out watching my garden grow. :)
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