Two springs ago I did something that I've been wanting to do for decades; I planted my first vegetable garden. Ryan and Megan Kegley turned me onto the idea of square foot gardening one day when I was sort of daydreaming about having a vegetable garden of my own some day. Several months later Jack and I were browsing around a book store and there on an end cap was the book, "All New Square Foot Gardening," by Mel Bartholomew. Seeing the book triggered a memory of the conversation with Ryan and Megan, it was spring, I was dreaming of home grown tomatoes and herbs, so I bought the book. Never before in my life has a $20 purchase ever fueled such feverish activity in me. If I am recollecting correctly (and Jack, you can correct me if I'm wrong) I read the book that day and upon completing the book I knew that I, too, could grow my own vegetables! The next day my love affair with Home Depot shifted from the paint and home repair aisles to the lumber and gardening aisles. I also combed the entire southern KC Metro area for all of the different kinds of compost I could find to combine with vermiculite and peat moss to make Mel's mix, the soil that fills the boxes you see above. It took only a day to build the boxes (the first spring I just had the three 4x4 boxes), dig up the sod, place the boxes and fill them with Mel's mix. The next day I planted my very first vegetable garden! I have a series of photos on my Facebook page that chronicles that first spring and summer when my love affair with growing my own food started. Last spring I added the 3x6 garden that you see in the background. Last summer I built the cage around it to keep the pesky squirrels out of my tomatoes (and yes, that works!!). This spring I raised all the beds another foot to keep the bunnies out of my beets (I don't know if that will work yet or not, I'll let you know mid-summer), and I moved all of my herbs to the border garden around my patio, which I also filled with Mel's mix (they seem pretty happy there). As you can see, each year the garden grows a little more. It's truly a compulsion, to make it a little bigger and grow a little more each year. I get such a kick out of eating the veggies and fruits that I grow that I am bound and determined to grow most, if not all, of the veggies that we eat in the late spring, summer and fall. I told Jack that my garden is now big enough and that I won't make it any bigger next spring, but as soon as I told him that I took it back, because I do want to build another 4x4 box and start an asparagus patch next spring!In the closest box you can see my broccoli, lettuce and spinach starts. The back row of that box contains my snap pea seeds, which are already germinating. The empty frame will have a trellis on it for the peas to climb. The left most box contains my beet and carrot seeds, under the plastic covers. The beets are coming up but I haven't seen any carrots yet. I'll plant cantaloupe seeds in the very back row (again, they will climb the trellis) and peppers in the row between the cantaloupe and carrots, once it is warm enough. That middle box in the back row of boxes has lettuce, kale, and Swiss chard seeds, so far. It will also get zucchini, cucumbers, and green onions. The big caged box to the far right is my tomato garden, with nine different types of tomatoes planted in it. The pots contain several different kinds of mint (I put it in the garden the first year - big mistake! The mint quickly took over the squares next to it.) and you can't see the oregano, parsley, cilantro, sage, thyme, rosemary, chives, tarragon and basil that are in the border garden around the patio.
It makes me happy to have my garden growing again. I get such joy and satisfaction from it. I fuss and putter over my garden as if each little start and sprout is a wee babe. I look forward to making my salads from my own garden once again. This summer I am going to do my best to plant a fall crop. I need to start seeds mid-June for that. The last two summers I told myself I would plant a fall crop, and I didn't do it. It's just not quite as much fun to get all dirty when it is 100 degrees outside. Also, this winter, I want to start my own seeds indoors in time to plant my own starts, rather than buying them from the nursery. I haven't done that yet, either. Again, when it is cold and dreary out, it is hard for me to think about growing things. I will have to bust through that psychological barrier next February!
This is only my third season, but each year I get a little more into my garden and I get a little more out of it. I'm hoping for an awesome growing season and a bountiful crop this spring, summer, and fall!
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