Sometime last winter, I was washing and slicing an 'old fashioned' carrot--you know the kind with a stem and dirt, not the ones that come peeled and perfectly ready to eat in a bag. Lilly came up to me and asked me how it got so dirty. I told her it was dirty because it grew in the ground. She didn't believe me...she honestly laughed...out loud. "Then who puts them in the bags at the store?" Whoa--wake up call to me--and we try and eat pretty healthy around here, but at this moment, I felt I'd steered her wrong. I made the decision that day that we'd make our first attempt at gardening in the Spring.
Most of my friends and husband laughed, as I've never been able to keep a house plant alive and the first real Christmas tree we ever bought was dead by December 15th. However, we have some green-thumbs in our families and I was determined. I bought "Square Foot Gardening" and read some advice from quad mom extraordinaire. My hope was to save some money on produce, but that hope was dashed when we purchased the seeds, seedlings, and soil for the garden. Don't get my husband started on the kid-sized gardening tools and matching gardening gloves I bought the family. Perhaps the money-saving comes next season?
Anyway, we've been pleased, the garden HAS grown. We planted carrots, cucumbers, snap peas, squash, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, eggplant, cantaloupe, peppers and green beans. The squash & cucumbers seem to have taken over most of the 'squares', but that's okay, we are rookies, so we'll learn as we go. Here's what we've seen so far, meanwhile if you have any cucumber recipes besides a boring old salad, send them my way!:
Addy--always a good helper!
Cucumbers--this is about 1/10th of what's growing!
Squash
Snap peas
Pepper
Radishes--our first pick back in June--the girls were unimpressed that these were the first product of the garden!
Today's bounty--squash, cucumbers (4), snap peas (a few handfuls), and a pepper!
4 comments:
Good job Aimee & Addy & Lilly! Your garden looks beautiful:) I'm really proud of you guys - what a great idea! I'm glad the girls have been having such a lovely summer - they seem like really busy little girls:) I miss you guys!
Very impressive and what a great science project for the girls. I think you guys are becoming quite the gardeners. May I have a cucumber?
Love, GaGa Jody
I am so proud! Our first garden was an epic fail and I haven't attempted again!! :) If you get overwhelmed with any of the squash, peas or other veggies, send them our way! We would love your fresh veggies! PS-my mom is growing lettuce in her garden this year and it is DELISH! :)
Hmmm...maybe I got my seeds in the ground a tad late, but I had no idea you could have actual vegetables by now! My cukes are just a few leaves on a stem...ditto for the squash. Perhaps next year I should start a little earlier (and participate in deer hunting season) or just borrow Addy and Lilly. I'm green with envy over your gorgeous garden.
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