The Garden

I've written a few times about the garden, so I decided it was about time to introduce you two.

So I present, for your consideration:

Our Garden

Aric and I decided awhile ago that we wanted to try out hand (hands?) at gardening, but agreed that we're both bad at plants (among other things). I thought it would be neat to start out with a little herb window box, but as usual, Aric had bigger and grander (more grand?) ideas.

There's this book called Square Foot Gardening. You need to check it out if you are at all interested in gardening. Basically what you do is build a 4 ft. square box, divide it up into square feet, and plant within those square feet. That way everything is in one area (which makes you more motivated to care for it) and within easy reach (really great for people who are small or don't get around so well). The book even tells you how to mix your soil (a combination of soil, compost, and vermiculite) to get the optimal growth (Aric and I still use a touch of Miracle Gro every now and again).

Even with the direction of the incredibly helpful book, the garden has been a bit of a learning experience. For example: the book says you can plant four heads of lettuce in one square foot.

Ha!

We did that with three different kinds of lettuce, and they choked each other, as well as the surrounding plants. We had to rearrange out plants a little bit, and make it one head of lettuce per square foot.

Another note about lettuce: if you plant it, you are not going to eat nearly as much as you think you will. We planted eight heads of lettuce, thinking we would eat lots of salads. We have, to date, eaten about two garden salads. I would suggest planting one, maybe two heads, depending on the size of your family.

We also had a large tomato plant, a gift from a friend. The tomato plant is a bush tomato plant, so it quickly spread out and choked out our peppers. The friend who gave us the tomato plant (and who also has a bachelor's in horticulture, or something similar) told us to move the tomato plant into a bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. We did that, and it seems to be ok. It's even working on some baby tomatoes:

We're also growing some herbs. First up we have basil, which is really taking off. It's about 1 ft. tall. It smells amazing, too - peppery and warm and fresh. I love to go out to the garden and just sniff it - I'm sure the neighbors think I'm insane, but I don't care!


We've also got orange thyme, which smells equally amazing.

We've also got two kinds of peppers going, so we can make our own salsa. I don't remember what kind they are - the tags that came in the pots blew away awhile ago. All I know is that I can't wait until they're bigger so we can use them!

Mystery Pepper No. 1

Mystery Pepper No. 2

We also have some celery, lettuce, and a cantaloupe growing, but I don't have good pictures of those.

In addition to the edibles, we planted marigolds. According to a variety of sources, marigolds act as a natural insect repellent in gardens. Aric and I don't want to use any kind of chemicals in our garden (I was wary of using Miracle Gro, but Aric said it was ok). We also strategically placed the peppers, as those also act as insect repellent. So far we haven't really had a problem with bugs eating our plants - some of the lettuce has holes in it, but otherwise everything is safe.

I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it is to grow your own produce. I can't say if it saves you money - the cost of building the square foot garden frame, buying the soil components, and then the plants was somewhat high. But what you lose in cash, you definitely make up for in a sense of accomplishment and pride - especially if you are not-so-great with plants. It's amazing to walk out into the backyard and literally see the fruits of your labor.

And it's even better to eat them!