How does your garden grow?
First, my name is not Mary. It's Nicole. AKA Mom. But the garden is growing just fine none-the-less! However, if I were to finish the nursery rhyme, it would go something like this:
First, my name is not Mary. It's Nicole. AKA Mom. But the garden is growing just fine none-the-less! However, if I were to finish the nursery rhyme, it would go something like this:
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. How does your garden grow?
With one red bell and toe-may-toes and lots of carrots-all in a row.
For those of you who were with me in the beginning, or even when I saw my first sprouts, thanks for all the encouragement. We've come a long way. 
I seriously didn't think I had a knack for gardening but family and friends assured me that it would be okay. That I could do it.
We built just two beds to see how I would do and how I would like it. DH commented that he can tell I'm already planning for more beds for next year's garden. I guess he can see the proud gleam in my eyes.
The girls have been great about helping me weed it. They were very confident with pulling the weeds until it became so overgrown that they couldn't even find the dirt any more.
I'm quite proud of where we're at now. With six tomato plants creeping over the fence. Six different varieties already preparing a nice yield. One red bell pepper plant surrounded by cooking onions and edged by a row of spring onions. We pulled and cut one of the large onions the other day and it was delicious.
My onion. From my garden. Delicious. What a lovely sound.
The bed of carrots is huge. In the beginning, I worked diligently to thin them as much as I could. Three zillion tiny carrots that are so close together that you need tweezers to thin them properly. No, I didn't do that. I did what I could then figured I would have lots of baby carrots in the beginning... THAT would be my thinning method. Well, those baby carrots are making a tasty addition to my salads these days. The girls and I pick a few each day.
And then there are the banana pepper plants... producing far more than what I could possibly know what to do with. That's okay though, we'll figure out something.
On the down side, we're having a major problem with Japanese beetles. It's annoying, but the girls and I are making a game of it. Each day, we head outside with our jar of soapy water and proceed to catch any beetle that dare raid our garden... or our bushes.
It has all been a nice bonding experience. The gardening and the bug collecting. And it's been a confidence booster, too. I love my garden and can't wait to have fresh tomatoes!
I seriously didn't think I had a knack for gardening but family and friends assured me that it would be okay. That I could do it.We built just two beds to see how I would do and how I would like it. DH commented that he can tell I'm already planning for more beds for next year's garden. I guess he can see the proud gleam in my eyes.
The girls have been great about helping me weed it. They were very confident with pulling the weeds until it became so overgrown that they couldn't even find the dirt any more.
I'm quite proud of where we're at now. With six tomato plants creeping over the fence. Six different varieties already preparing a nice yield. One red bell pepper plant surrounded by cooking onions and edged by a row of spring onions. We pulled and cut one of the large onions the other day and it was delicious.
My onion. From my garden. Delicious. What a lovely sound.
The bed of carrots is huge. In the beginning, I worked diligently to thin them as much as I could. Three zillion tiny carrots that are so close together that you need tweezers to thin them properly. No, I didn't do that. I did what I could then figured I would have lots of baby carrots in the beginning... THAT would be my thinning method. Well, those baby carrots are making a tasty addition to my salads these days. The girls and I pick a few each day.
And then there are the banana pepper plants... producing far more than what I could possibly know what to do with. That's okay though, we'll figure out something.
On the down side, we're having a major problem with Japanese beetles. It's annoying, but the girls and I are making a game of it. Each day, we head outside with our jar of soapy water and proceed to catch any beetle that dare raid our garden... or our bushes.
It has all been a nice bonding experience. The gardening and the bug collecting. And it's been a confidence booster, too. I love my garden and can't wait to have fresh tomatoes!
I think you can actually put the soapy water in a clean spray bottle and spritz the plants and that will deter the beetles. I remember my mother doing that when we were kids. It certainly won't hurt you to eat the veggies from these plants. Good luck! And gorgeous gardens. I wish I'd been organized enough to do this kind of planting.
Great garden! I love vegetable gardening! We planted 30 tomato plants this year!!!
mommytime is right, you can spray them right on the plants and it wont hurt the veggies. Your boxes look lovely, I want raised boxes but.... There is something extra special about veggies you grew yourself, they always taste better.
Congratulations on your success. There's nothing quite like onions from your own garden. Have you tried corn?
looks delish
Marigolds planted in among the veggies are great insect deterrents. I don't have things like squash bugs showing up anymore at all since we've started planting them.
Very cool gardens! My boy and I planted a salsa garden last year - onions, toms, peppers. The squirrels got more out of it than we did, but it was still lots of fun. Yours is gorgeous.
I wish I could do some planting but apartment living doesnt come with dirt.. well not the kind you can plant in.
I am GREEN with envy--tomatoes are very tricky in Texas for me at least--I only seem to get the baby ones :(
Lovely garden!
We to are having a pretty good sucess with our garden. It looks good to me! I can say that there is nothing better than being able to eat something that our not so green thumbs have grown!
You rock! We can't even keep our crabgrass alive.