First, I started out with four raised beds that my husband so graciously made quite easily using treated wood which you can get from any DIY store. We have plans to fence in around the garden so as to keep the animals away and put small gravel or crushed limestone between the garden beds to keep it weed free and tidy.
Next, we prepared the beds with dirt from our property and mixed in compost to make the soil a little more nutrient rich for the plants. Below you will see before and after compost pictures.
I ordered some seeds and started them inside early (a variety of herbs for pots close to the house and other veggies such as zucchini). I also ordered tomato plants, strawberry plants and raspberry plants that were already started but mailed to me at the appropriate planting time for my area. So far I have planted: tomatoes, zucchini, two types of lettuce, potatoes, green bean bushes, strawberries, carrots and cucumbers for homemade pickles! I started two beds, waited two weeks and then planted one more bed and will wait another two weeks before planting the last bed which I will then plant parsnips, squash and perhaps more green beans. Jennie and I plan to can as much as we can this year! Last year we did homemade applesauce and tomato sauce and it has lasted us all winter long! Here are a few pictures of how some of the plants are doing so far...
Tomatoes Zucchini
Green Beans Strawberries
Potatoes
So far, I have really enjoyed going out to the garden every day to see the progress of the plants! Luke comes out with me each day and "helps" me weed and water the plants. Of course it is a lot of work.... what has worked for us is adding the garden to our daily routine. We usually go out first thing in the morning (have to feed our horses anyway) to check on the plants and then again after Luke's nap time so he can run around and play outside and I can keep a close eye on him while I do my gardening chores. The garden has added a few minutes of peace and quiet to my day and allowed me a few minutes of relaxation! There are so many resources out there if you're new to gardening and I hope if you've ever wanted to start your own vegetable garden, this gives you that confidence you need to do it! Take it from me, if I can do it...ANYONE can!
You can choose to start one or two things in containers or if you have the space, do a little more! Jennie will weigh in next week about how easy it is to grow food in containers! If you're worried about the cost involved with buying containers don't worry - Jennie will share some great alternatives to using what you already have around the house!
We hope to keep you updated on our gardening adventures. We would love to hear any tips and tricks you may have that will help us out along the way! If you are new to gardening yourself and just starting like us, we would love to hear how things are progressing!
**Don't forget to check out our Recipes for healthy food you can make for your family with ingredients that we hope we can get from our garden instead of having to go to the store!!!**
