I threatened to start an herb garden one time when I was quite pregnant, nesting and feeling overwhelmed by all of the crafty, resourceful, domestic amazingness that exists out there in the blogosphere.
Well, friends, turns out I am a woman of my word.
(Ok except that it’s not herbs.)
If you have been to my house, you are probably giggling right now. Our backyard is a veritable forest. Over grown because our house was uninhabited for almost a year before we bought it and no matter how much we try to trim and pull and kill each spring, it all. comes. back.
Our front yard? Well, we are presently… uhm… unscaping it. The former bushes out front were too big for the space (also over grown past the point of cutting them back) so over the last few weekends DanO has cut all 7 bushes down, dug a ditch around the roots, and pulled them out.
(After unscaping we have every intention of landscaping. It’s just that these things take time. And sweat.)
We have a jungle in the back yard and a construction zone in the front, which would explain the riotous laughter coming from those who have seen our house and are now reading about the fact that I’ve started a garden.
Pffffffft.
Believe me, I think it’s as funny as you do.
But, what I don’t find funny is the shear amount of produce I end up throwing away each year after it goes bad, especially lettuce. I don’t know what it is, but so often I fail to get to the end of a head of lettuce or the bottom of a bag of spinach before it’s no longer usable. One of the main reasons we are not part of a crop share this year (as we were last year) is because I found myself tossing out once perfectly beautiful produce that was now molded.
It was maddening. It was wasteful. It was irresponsible. So I decided I would (try to) do something about it.
It all started with some teeny tiny seeds, some potting soil, and a recycled seed-starter kit back in March.
After tucking 3-4 seeds into each little pod, we set the set them on the kitchen table in the sun to wait for their big debut.
To be continued…
(I bet you didn’t think gardening could be suspenseful. Boy were you right wrong.)
yay!! i love gardens!! and i am giggling that we are already harvesting our crops* down here while you’re just planting yours. funny how we can live miles apart yet still have the same ideas and goals.
*and when i say crops, i mean 3 tomatoes, 2 squash, 1 bell pepper and 1 jalapeno pepper, so far. ;)
the suspense! ahh!
I can’t wait to find out what you are doing! I am SO NOT a garden person. My husband HATES that about me. Perhaps I could use you as a source of motivation. LOL.
I am so not into gardening, but wish I was. It would save a lot of money. We have the same problem with the lettuce too, I don’t know what it is about that darn lettuce!
This is the first year in a LONG time we haven’t had a garden (2,500sq ft). Just to much to do with the new little one and the adoption travel later this year. I am sure you will have a lot of fun watching your little plants grow. Best of luck although I am sure you will all have a great time with this experiment.
we have a huge garden that despite all the rain isn’t doing as well as it has in other years. but, for the lack of production so far we have been able to eat 3 zucchinis! oh, and the strawberries and rhubarb have a mind of their own! we have had a lot of yummy strawberry rhubarb muffins!
Please do not show me a garden. This time of year, I’m about weepy for the missing of mine. It was the best fun and so rewarding and the food was wonderful…. Sigh. If you need help, you let me know
(And we so should have talked re: CSA. We joined one this year. It’s only every other week, and I upgraded to a customizable box with the hopes that I’ll be able to maximize the produce the kids love and minimize the produce I might not get to before it goes bad. Still. I’m sure I’ll have extra. Want some?)
IMPRESSIVE!!! ***WHEN*** you move to Utah, my MIL will help you grow the biggestest bestest garden you’ve ever seen!!! She’s an expert.. no seriously. She has her masters in gardening! :)
p.s. that’s a crap load of lettuce! :)