Novice Gardeners #1

A year and a half ago, we moved into this house that we fell in love with a while back. I guess that is not entirely truthful... we fell in love with the yard. As the parents of four busy children, we knew we wanted a yard that would give them the space they need to play. Outside. A lot. : ) It was Father's Day two years ago that we took a glance over the fence into the backyard of this house that was for sale... and there it was... a backyard we could see our kids in.

The story of our move (and life since then) is long and to be saved for another time. But regardless of how difficult things may have become, we have loved every minute of living in this house. It is old and basic and functional and just the sort of place we had hoped to raise our family. One of things we really looked forward to doing in this "new" house was raise a garden. The previous owner was renowned for his gardening ability and we gratefully glean lessons from his fingerprints all around.

We began our gardening experience last year and fumbled through our first season happily eating the veggies that survived our inexperience. The kids learned to weed... we learned to weed... we learned the wonder of Preen! : ) We grew zucchini as big as the kid's legs and baked more zuke bread than any one family should be blessed to consume! And we loved it... all the work... all the harvesting... because it was fun and because we could do it and because it was free!

So, now starts the new season and maybe you are gardening, too. This past weekend was the first weekend this year when we felt comfortable enough to begin to plant without a fear of frost. The garden plot was rototill-ed and we strung a rope through the center of the garden so we could keep track of our rows and so the kids would know where it was safe to walk. We planted seeds and seedlings and studied companion planting so our veggies will be happy. Wondering what went in? Here is our list:

tomatoes

chives (came up all by themselves)

cantaloupe

watermelon

strawberries

herbs

green beans

zucchini

eggplant

acorn squash

lettuce

onions

cucumbers

peas

pumpkins (huge and tiny)

and one beautiful baby apple tree!

So, that is our list... what is on yours? We are learning as we go... step by step. We moved things around this year... separated our squash plants and put the tomatoes in a sunnier spot. We involved the kids in the planting and will have them help a lot with the upkeep and harvesting. As summer begins, we will post pictures now and then to show you how it is coming and I hope to hear from you about what you are learning in your own gardens, as well. There is something so homey about working side by side with your family to till the soil, weed the rows and protect the baby seedlings as they grow up... It's a lot like parenting, isn't it?