Mud Gardening

It's been raining pretty much nonstop for weeks now. Yesterday was dry for the most part, but the ground was still soaked from all of the rainfall we've had previously. I have so much that I need to do in my garden that I just can't seem to get done because everything is muddy.

I don't mean to be fair weather gardener, but I really don't know how I am supposed to put my pole bean and my pumpkin in the ground. The only thing that I can think to do is put them into bigger containers to try and keep them happy until the ground dries a little more.

Am I supposed to be out there in the mud? I don't get it.

I've Got Sunshine, On a Cloudy Day

I can't see my garden from my back door which means that I don't get to enjoy it much when it's raining. It has been raining for almost 11 days straight or something like that. I have lost track and don't care to look it up as it only depresses me.

One day, while I was gazing longingly out my back door, wishing for sunshine I saw this:

It was like a little ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day!

Crunchy!

I am excited to say that my garden is working! Today I went out to check on things, mostly the Vampire Broccoli, and everything looks great! The broccoli is growing strong, but no sign of little broccoli heads. The snow peas are starting to come in, and by next week I should be able to get quite a few of them. Also, the banana peppers are getting ready to flower.

I took Caleb outside to see the progress. "Mama's plants are growing!" he said. I told him that we could pick the snow peas and eat them. "You eat them?" he asked. Then he ate one! Then he spat it out! I think next time I will add a little salad dressing and see if that helps.

The only problem with my garden is that now I wish I had another 1 or 2 snow pea plants!

Vampire Broccoli

My broccoli hates the sun. The little tag that came with them cannot be trusted! Every time the sunlight hits them they start to wilt and droop. They get all saggy and that makes me sad all day. Fortunately they are in containers and so I am able to move them around. I scooted them all into the shade.

My mom suggested that perhaps they just needed to be hardened. She thought that maybe they were not used to being outside. This can't be true because they were outside when I got them. Even if they weren't left outside in the evening, which I am sure they were, they were definitely in the sun.

The broccoli was in the sun the day I bought them. I left them in the sun before I transplanted them. Now that they are in their containers, they hate the sun. I want to keep them happy, so I am letting them stay in the shade, but I am worried that they will never grow little yummy broccolis if they are left there.

Attack of the 3 Foot Weeds

Last weekend was spent pulling weeds. It's all a part of a beautification process that I have started in my backyard. I worked for hours and only got half way through all of the weeds that have taken over several areas of my yard. I was trying to get as much done as possible because it's going to rain the rest of the week.

These weeds were monstrous. Most of them were 3 feet tall or taller. They were thick, too. It was like a forest of evil plants trying to take over the yard. Fortunately, they all came up pretty easily. I have a whole other half of the yard to do, but I feel like I made some real headway this time. Hopefully, new ones don't sprout up before the rain stops and I am able to get out there again.

Pondless Waterfall

I am thrilled to have a garden. I love to sit next to my humble little garden bed and watch my plants flutter in the breeze. Since I have been spending so much time outside in my backyard, I have noticed something terrible. My back yard is ugly.

To be more precise, it's a diamond in the rough. We had a long Winter of neglect. There are weeds towering everywhere. The lawn needs to be edged. There is a patch of dirt where the previous tenants failed at a garden and the grass seed failed to germinate. A few camping chairs are my only form of lawn furniture. There is a large pile of limbs from some trees that were cut down last Summer.

I have already started the process of beautifying my yard. It's been slow going. I try to do a little bit everyday, but it's so overwhelming that I feel as if I haven't gotten anything done. I've decided to give myself a goal. I am creating an image that I want to strive for. I have decided that once my yard is completely cleaned, I will reward myself by building a water feature.

Since I have a 2 year old, and a water loving dog, I have decided to go with a pondless waterfall. I was poking around on the web and found this.

There are a lot of different varieties, some of them more elaborate than others. I am looking for something easy to build and simple looking. I like how this one has a little area on top to plant things.

The good news is that my house is build in an old river bed, and I have an over abundance of river rock. I also have some huge boulders that can go underground to fill up the under gravel pond. The only rocks that I will need to acquire will be the flat rocks. Exciting? Yes, I know!

How Gardening Has Changed My Life 4

Today, I let my son play in dirt. There is a large pile of dirt that is left over from when I dug out the garden bed. Caleb got out his bulldozer and his dump truck toys and thoroughly played in the dirt. Of course, our trusty dog, Chopper, was right by his side. They dug and rolled in the dirt together, just like a couple of little boys.

While they were getting dirty, I sat on my porch and played the guitar. I played old Southern Gospel hymns while I overlooked their dirt construction zone. Here are some things that I saw.

1. A hummingbird ate from our feeder
2. A chickadee ate from our seed feeder
3. A squirrel barked at our dog, just to get even
4. A butterfly landed on a flower
5. My son ate dirt
6. My son fed his dog dirt

I love just sitting out here at all different times of the day. Everything changes as the sun moves across the yard. I love it so much; I don't even want to go inside. So, we are grilling for dinner. More time outside!

Cake Plant

I wish there was a plant that grew birthday cake...

Sun Dried Tomatoes

I got this recipe from TipNut.com, which is a great site to get all kind of useful tips for home, garden, and crafts as well. I love sun dried tomatoes, but man are they pricey! Now I'm not going to have to pay for them, and I can enjoy them in my salads this Summer!

Traditionally sun dried tomatoes were made by laying out freshly cut pieces of tomatoes in the sun to bake in the natural heat for days (the tomato pieces were first covered in cheesecloth). Nowadays, we use the oven. In just a few hours, you can have bags to freeze or jars of homemade sun dried tomatoes covered in olive oil. Use in pastas, on top of pizzas, in sauces, etc. If you have a bumper crop of fresh tomatoes from the garden, drying them in the oven is a great way to preserve them for future use.

Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes

• Preheat oven to 200° F.


• Gently wash & dry the tomatoes, cut into pieces then scoop out the seeds.


• Place the tomato pieces cut side up on a rack or cookie sheet, do not allow the tomato pieces to touch each other, drizzle or brush a bit of olive oil over them then lightly sprinkle with salt.


• Place in oven and cook 6 to 8 hours or when done–they will be shrunken, leathery looking yet still flexible.

Storage Tips:
Pack the dried tomato pieces in sterilized jars, cover with extra virgin olive oil (make sure each piece of tomato is fully covered in oil) and seal. For extra flavor, add herbs such as basil. The flavored oil can be used in cooking and on vegetables or salad. Keep the jars of tomatoes refrigerated bringing them to room temperature before using.
Pack tomato pieces in freezer bags, remove as much air as possible, then freeze.

Mulch in Vegetable Gardens

I have it on very good authority that mulching is extremely important. Adding mulch to your garden bed will help retain soil moister as well as take on the most honorable job of keeping weeds at bay. In addition, using organic matter as mulch will even help to improve your soil quality. So, on the advice of a self proclaimed "soil nerd", I have added mulch to my garden.

As I mentioned in my review of Wilco Farm Store in Battle Ground, WA, my mother is in the market for mulch. She is still in the process of deciding which mulch to buy and from whom to buy it. The key word in all of that for me is "buy". I'm perfectly willing to invest unlimited amounts of time into my garden, but money is another story. I'd like for my gardening adventure to be an addition to my quality of life, and not a subtraction to my bank account.

The solution seems simple enough. I am mulching my garden with grass clippings. An inch or so of grass clippings should be enough to keep the moisture from evaporating from the soil in my garden bed. It should also protect the ground from would be invaders - i.e. weeds. The mulch keeps the soil dark and cool which will help to keep the seeds from most weeds from germinating.

As the grass clippings begin to decay, they will add valuable nutrients back into the soil. It's like a direct composting system, improving the quality of the soil, right where you want it. Using organic matter as mulch will also encourage visits from my very good friends, the worms. Another nice thing about the grass clipping idea is that I have a nearly unlimited supply, and I add to it each week.

Using mulch will also improve the beauty of your garden. Hard rains can cause mud to splash up on your veggies. In drier weather, wind can blow away dry soil and lower the soil level in your garden bed. Also, heavy vegetables left to sag in the dirt can bruise or start to rot.

The downside to using organic matter as mulch is that it may attract certain critters. Table scraps, as used by some, can attract rodents and other scavengers. Ants, slugs, and snails can also come creeping along after such mulch types. Grass clippings are bound to attract my dog, who loves to roll and sleep in them. I have, however; let him know that he will find himself also buried in my garden if I see one more paw print in my bell peppers!

It seems as though the answer is clear; it is far more beneficial to mulch than not to mulch. It protects your plants and improves your soil, and seems as though it will make gardening mulch more enjoyable. Get i? Mulch more enjoyable! Ha! I crack me up!

The Broccoli Verdict

The broccoli looks 100% better today! The leaves are perky and feel strong. After being in the sun, allowing for some evaporation from its overly moist soil, they are back to life. I had been worried about the broccoli in my garden when I noticed them wilting. It looks like my theory of them being over watered and under sunned was correct and I think that I may have saved the day. Disaster averted!

Pasta Salad From My Garden

Here is a dish that I am excited to make once I start harvesting my garden. Thinking about the fresh produce that I am going to have on hand has me excited to prepare new foods highlighting my vegetables.

Italian Inspired Pasta Salad

• 1 (8 oz) package Angel Hair pasta


• 2 chopped tomatoes fresh from my garden


• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 1/2 cup Italian dressing

1. Boil pasta 8 - 10 minutes, drain and place in service bowl


2. Toss pasta with dressing and tomatoes, top with Parmesan cheese and serve

I don't know about you, but I think this sounds like it would be great served chilled and with some feta cheese. I think I will try it that way and let you know how it goes.

As I am looking into which recipes I plan to create, I get more ideas for new plants that I want to grow as well! My list of most wanted vegetables now include a jalapeno, zucchini, cucumber, and carrots. I also think I would benefit from some herbs as well, which previously I had not considered. Basil and cilantro are soon to come, I'm sure!

How Gardening Has Changed My Life 3

Today, while digging in my garden, I saw a worm. Delightful! Worms are fabulous for gardens and I need to keep at least a few in each of my containers if I am to continue my Lazy Vermicomposting experiment. Last time I found a worm I instructed my two year old son to pick it up and move it to the tomato. He was happy to oblige.

It's my usual habit to never walk on grass in bare feet. My normal practice is to disinfect my hands after touching anything. It is not in my character to reach into the dirt, pick up a worm, and toss it at the base of a plant, but that's what I did.

I reached down into the earth over and over again, plucking more than two dozen misplaced earthworms out it and evenly distributing them to each of my plants. The deeper I dug, the more worms I found. There were so many that I started piling them up for release back into the garden bed when I was done.

Suddenly I was ambushed! I disgusting fat, white, lumpy monster with a red face and nasty teeth came hurdling toward me. I shudder to recount the story now. Its soulless eyes were looking into mine as it squirmed and wiggled in the soft dirt. I screamed a string of unintelligible and possibly expletive words as I chopped the grub into pieces with my shovel. I had flashbacks of several recently made zombie movies in my head as I reacted on pure instincts.

I touched worms and I killed on impulse. That is how gardening has changed my life - so far.

Pole Bean

Exciting news! The little pole bean had an explosion last night after being left in the sun all day! I also let it sit in its little container on the porch over night. It was a warm night and I thought my little pea would like the fresh air. Apparently it did!

This is such a motivation for me. To actually see something growing for me really lifts my spirits. When I say this is my first time gardening, I mean this is my very first time. I have never had a garden in any way, shape, or form; not even as a child. I'm dreading the day that my ignorance causes everything to start dying.

Sad story: My broccoli is all wilty. I think that it may have been over watered. I left it out in the sun today so that it will hopefully perk back up. Just yesterday it was looking pretty good, but today it's all saggy and sad. I am hoping to see some improvement when I get home from work this evening.

It's so hard to be at work knowing that my garden is at home in my backyard all alone!

Growth

Exciting news in the garden today! I planted some pole beans in a small container a week or so ago and left them in my windowsill. I was disappointed when I didn't see any growth from them, but the package I bought last year said they were "guaranteed to grow". Finally, I noticed a little green lump poking out of the soil. At last, life! I'm excited to add these beans to my garden and also to my Summer menu!


There was also some great progress from my snow pea overnight. The flower has emerged and I now have a beautiful white blossom which I hope will one day turn into a snow pea! This is the first plant that my mom got for me this year, and the very first addition to my patio garden, so the plant is very special to me. It's doing so well that I am under the impression that they must be very easy to grow. Regardless, it makes my heart flutter to see it flourishing.

Progress on the patio tomato as well. One little flower! I'm so happy to see it. I hear that tomatoes are pretty good at self pollinating? Is that what I need to happen since I only have one patio tomato? I am assuming that my big beef tomatoes don't count because they aren't the same kind?

As you know; and if you didn't then you can now tell, I am new to gardening. A coworker asked me how I learned about gardening. "What's to know? You stick the thing in the dirt and it grows," was my answer. I'm not an expert gardener by any means, but I do intend to get there, and this season is the beginning of that!

My Lazy Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting is a fancy way of saying "worms eat my garbage, and I get to keep their poop". You may already know that worm poop, or worm castings, as many gardeners delicately call it, is great for plants. I used to think that worm poop was just dirt, but I was mistaken. Worm castings are actually minerals covered in mucus? Disgusting! I can't believe the guy at the home and garden show tricked me into touching that stuff! Well, dirt or mucus covered minerals, worm castings are a great way to keep your plants growing strong.

My mom has a worm garden, purchased from the culprit who tricked me into touching worm-butt mucus. It's a container with several separate bins and a drainage system. She puts vegetable table scraps and old coffee grounds into the top bin and the worms come up to eat it. Later, they poop out their mineral rich manure, which we use to fertilize our gardens. It's a simple process that doesn't require much work and yields a lot of reward. And by reward, I of course mean poop.

So my mom feeds her worms, she mists them, and she turns their soil. This is the traditional way of vermicomposting, and; like I said, it isn't very difficult or time consuming. As easy as it is, I still don't want to deal with it. Mostly because I don't want to touch any worms, and now that I know they poop mucus covered mineral lumps, I don't want to touch their castings either.

I have found a simple solution. Every time I plant a pot in a container, I drop in a couple of my mom's worms. I have only just started this practice, and don't know if it works well or not. In theory, it seems to make sense. I keep the soil moist for the plants and that's how the worms like it. I drop in just the tiniest bit of food because there aren't a lot of worms in each pot. Even the dead leaves that I pick from my plants should be enough.

I don't expect an explosion in my worm population, and I don't think its going to be a great permanent home for the worms. Even if I move the pots into the garage in the winter, I think it would still be too cold for them. Until I get motivated enough to want to touch a worm, I am going to continue my lazy vermicomposting.

Snow Pea Flower

It had drizzled last night and I was a little sad that my plants wouldn't need help with water this morning. I like to spend the time with them and Caleb loves to help water them. I did step outside, just to check on them. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular.

I did notice a few things. The broccoli is looking at home, its leaves are standing up stronger. Everything that I planted yesterday, tomatoes, banana peppers, and bell pepper, were all looking good. I did see a paw print in the soil. Bad dog.

When I checked on my snow pea, I noticed that a bloom was starting to appear. It's so cute! I can't wait to see the full flower. First of all, they are pretty little flowers, and secondly, flowers mean snow peas! I can't wait to much on them while watching the sun set from my back porch. Sounds like the perfect Summer time activity to me!

Bi-Zi Farms Vancouver, WA

A few days ago I made my first trip to Bi-Zi Farms in Vancouver, WA. When we pulled up, my mom was quick to point out the chickens and bunnies that were roaming around. "They're just walking around," she said, "They're walk-around chickens". We later teased her when a walk-around cat came walking by.

Outside there was a small covered nursery area where I picked up a bell pepper start for only $1.98, and my mom got some peppers and a pumpkin. All of the plants looked lovely and were priced low. There were tomatoes that were just starting to flower for $2.98, and they were very healthy and strong looking. There was a nice selection of vegetables and there were plenty of flowers as well.

Inside their farmer's market, they sell fruits and vegetables grown on the farm. My favorite item is the pickled garlic, which is just slightly spicy and is great in tuna salad, but also as a crunchy snack. Both of those instances assume that you don't have anyone to smooch with afterwards.

While I was there, a habanero jelly and local honey caught my eye. There were 3 types of honey available: wild blackberry, raspberry, and wild flower. I have been wanting to try rose honey for a long time and have never found it. I couldn't decide on what variety to bring home, so I am going to go back again when I can grab all three. That's something I can guarantee, I'll be back again soon.

Chapman's Greenhouse in Vancouver, WA

Yesterday I went to Chapman's Greenhouse in Vancouver, WA on 117th. This little gem used to be on the route of my daily commute, but at the time I had no backyard and had never been to a nursery. My mom and I were plant shopping together for Mother's Day, and passed by the greenhouse on the way to another store. After both admitting that we had never been there, we decided to swing by on our way home.

My mom was looking for Petunias to fill a hanging basket she had picked up on sale at Wilco. She found them there, 2 for $1.00. I have never been a fan of hanging baskets, but I have to say that the ones they had put together at Chapman's literally made my gasp. My favorite one was filled with pink and purple supertunias: "If unicorns had hanging baskets, this would be what they looked like!"

After browsing through one green house, we went into the cashier area which was attached to two more. I found some nice looking bell peppers, but they were priced a dollar more than what I paid for mine at Bi-Zi farms earlier in the weekend. I did, however; find some banana peppers for 99 cents, and I was glad that I hadn't gotten them at Bi-Zi when I picked up the red beauty bell pepper. I got two sweet banana peppers at Chapman's and saved 50%.

Caleb was happy to pull the wagon around for us, as usual. He was dressed in his gardening clothes, and had dirty little finger nails from transplanting my patio tomato earlier in the day. He had pulled it out of the pot and put it into a Tupperware and presented it to me for Mother's Day... twice. The tomato is in recovery and expected to be fine.

Chapman's was well organized and the plant species were all clearly marked. The prices were all posted clearly and most were reasonable while some were a real steal. One thing that I have learned quickly about plant shopping is that you can't get all of your starts in one place. One location will have their peppers for dirt cheap, and another will have tomatoes for next to nothing. I'm worried about getting burned since this is my first time planting a garden and I don't really know what the prices should be for plants.

It seems as though flowers are a lot more expensive than vegetables. I have a hard time understanding the reason why. Maybe they are harder to grow? Perhaps it is because they are more popular? Prettier? I don't really know why they cost more. To me they seem less beneficial. After all, you don't usually eat most flowers, but my banana peppers are going to be delicious!

Chapman's Greenhouse

14002 NE 117th
Vancouver, WA 98662
360-604-2186

How Gardening Has Changed My Life 2

I touched dirt with doo doo in it.

Wilco in Battle Ground, WA

Today I went to Wilco in Battle Ground, Wa. A membership card is required to buy there, but the card is free, so I don't really understand what it's for anyhow. Regardless, they had compost on sale and my mom was looking for about 10 cubic feet.

The first thing we did was check out the baby chickens, ducks, and geese. They were so adorable! My landlord told me once that chickens weren't allowed at our residence, but I am going to look into it again. She is very pro-chicken, so if legal, I'm sure we would be able to at least keep a bantam or two.

Next, we went to the nursery to check out the veggies and the flowers. I found some broccoli that looked really nice. I picked up a 6 pack for less than $2.50. The broccoli was today's addition to my container garden. I planted them in into some long planters that have been in my garage for a couple of years. They were originally supposed to be part of a building project that never got started and I'm glad I decided to hang onto them anyway.

My mom got some ice burg lettuce and butter lettuce, which she also planted in containers. My mom has been gardening since she retired a couple of years ago, and she is getting very good at it! She also plants flowers as well as vegetables, so she got some nice hanging baskets for half price at Wilco.

While we were there I did see 2 things in particular that I think I might die without.


Isn't the owl just the cutest! When I get to the decorative part of building my backyard, he is going to live in a very prominent place for sure. The bird is adorable as well, but that owl is seriously calling my name!

I picked up a small tomato cage for 99 cents, but couldn't bring myself to pay $5.00 each for the large size that I need for my big ol' Beef tomatoes that I got at the WSU plant sale yesterday. I am going to try and rig up something more cost effective, and possible more adorable, but we shall see how it turns out. My garden shares its backyard home with a 95lb pitbull/boxer mix, so some kind of protection might be in order as well.

When we went to check out the compost, a store worker recommended that we check out H & H Wood Recyclers down the road. He said that we would get a much better deal on the compost if we bought it by the truck load. The entire staff was really friendly and willing to help. Each one of them in the gardening area was engaged with a customer, giving advice and helping to pick plants. Because the prices didn't meet my needs for frugality, I would probably only shop at this store if I knew they were having a special on gardening items, or if I was making a special trip to see baby chickens and buy that little owl.

Wilco Farm Stores
(360) 687-3113
815 W Main St, Battle Ground, WA 98604

How Gardening Has Changed My Life 1

It might seem as though it hasn't been long enough, but gardening has already changed my life. I was kneeling next to my snow pea plant untangling its delicate little curls from around itself, when something caught my eye. A spider. Not just any spider. A big spider. Not just any big spider. A gross, green, giant spider - a Triple G.

Shock and horror erupted inside of me (in that order). A Triple G spider had made its home inside of one of the still folded leaves of my precious snow pea! The nerve! The audacity! How dare such a disgusting creature come anywhere near by beautiful container garden! This horrid offender must suffer for such nauseating actions!

I stayed my hand. I know that in a garden, spiders are important. First of all, spiders - even Triple Gs, don't eat plants. Secondly, they eat other bugs that do. Althought it is completely against my nature, and its something I have never done before, I let the spider alone. I let it live. It remains, gross, green, and giant; tucked away inside of the still folded leaf of my snow pea plant.

That is how gardening has changed my life - so far.

WSU Plant Sale

Today I went to the WSU plant sale. It's an annual fund raiser for the Master Gardener Foundation of Clark County. They hold the sale every year on Mother's Day weekend, and apparently the whole town knows about it because everyone was there.

The prices on the vegetable starts are pretty decent, and you can also get flowers as well. The most impressive prices were the Japanese Maples. They were about 5 feet tall and were priced between $5 and $10. The great thing about shopping at the Extension is that all of the plants for sale fair well in your local area.

My favorite thing about buying at a fundraiser for the Master Gardener Foundation is that everyone is crazy about gardening and they love to share their knowledge. My mom spent a good 20 minutes learning how to care for a clematis she got the day before. The members of the Master Gardener Foundation are all about spreading the love of gardening and helping others to become masters as well.

The plants were all in great condition. Not at all like when you go to a large chain store and the 16 year old punk rocker who works in the nursery forgot to water the plants all week. You can tell that all of the plants have been well cared for. They were also separated by category. Vegetables in one area, flowers in another, and shade plants were, well, in the shade.

There were wagons and wheelbarrows available to make the shopping easier. This was Caleb's favorite part. He pulled the wagon almost the entire time we were there until the very end when he gasped, "I'm so tired, I wanna ride in the wagon with plants". He also enjoyed helping to pick out the tomato plants. I put one in the wagon and he promptly told me, "I want two, mama!"

I got two beautiful tomato plants. I think I am going to plant them in the ground. They will probably get too big for any containers that I have. Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be great, so I will do it then. The plant sale is going on through tomorrow as well. If you get a chance, it's worth checking out!

The Begining of My Garden

I wouldn't even go so far as to say that I am a novice gardener. I haven't ever successfully grown anything yet. What I lack in experience I make up for in enthusiasm. I am excited to begin gardening. I am thrilled to have the space to be able to grow things, and most of all, excited to grow things you can eat.

I have not yet dug out a garden area in my yard, and so all of my plants are in containers on my porch. At first I thought that this made me less of a gardener, but then I read an article in Better Homes and Gardens about growing vegetables in containers and I knew it still counted! I have 3 containers on my sunny back porch right now. My tiny container garden is made up of 1 hanging strawberry, 1 patio tomato, and 1 snow pea. So far the snow pea seems to be doing the best. It has been growing like mad. Every few days I sit down next to it and untangle its adorable little curls from around itself and guide it along the tomato cage that is in the pot.

The newest addition to my garden is a small patio tomato. It's placed on a sunny corner of my covered porch. I set it very near to the same place that my accidental tomatoes grew last Summer. My accidental tomatoes seemed to fair very well their last year, and I am hoping that this will be a good spot for my new potted plant as well.

My 3rd plant is my strawberries, which are planted in a hanging basket over my snow peas. I'm very excited because they have already produced a few small flowers and on one side, I can see the beginning of strawberries starting to appear. A site like this reassures me that Summer will be here soon, even in the Pacific Northwest.

Welcome to My Garden!

This blog is a product of my newly found love of gardening. I am just discovering the beauty and joy that can be grown in a home garden. This is my first spring in a home with a backyard big enough to support a small garden and my aim is to capitalize on that.

I learned how much I enjoy gardening when I moved into my new rental home in Summer of 2009 and found 2 accidental tomato plants growing among weeds on the side of my porch. I never moved them, but watered and doted on them and they rewarded me greatly with tasty tomatoes all Summer long. This year I have already planted a few things in containers on my porch, and as the weather is just now finally warming up, I am looking forward to adding new and exciting things to my garden often.