Our 2013 Backyard Garden

We are growing some new plants this year.  I even mustered up the courage to start a few things from seed.  It's been very exciting to watch the garden mature these past few weeks.

It was a wet and chilly spring in Cincinnati so we didn't get our garden planted until late May.  The late start has only been an issue for our broccoli plants; all six of them quickly bolted when the June temperatures jumped above 80 degrees.  I haven't had the heart to yank them out of the garden yet but I am considering what I might be able to put in their place.  To the left of the broccoli, our Brussels sprouts seem to be doing fine and surviving despite the onslaught of insects chewing on their leaves.  

From seed we started bush beans, peas, and carrots!  (Beans pictured above.) I'm extremely encouraged by how well they are all doing, even with the occasional garden invasion of rabbits or squirrels.  The beans are much larger than I expected so I'm hoping that they have enough space.  We have six bean plants and they all have buds on them.

The pea plants have found their way to our makeshift trellis and starting to climb.  I do have a confession to make:  when I opened the seed package I was very surprised to find that pea seeds are...peas!  I know, I know.  Duh!  You really learn a lot about your food when you grow it. 

(Tim laughed really hard when I told him how surprised I was discovering the peas.  I'm glad I can be of some amusement to him!)

We are growing only one lonely tomato.   I doubt very many of these little guys will make it to our kitchen--Tim eats them right off the plant. 

Because of our limited space (the fence around the perimeter is mostly to keep our dogs out of the garden but also rabbits), we are attempting to grow our cucumbers vertically.  This experiment is doing fine so far as the little climbing tendrils are finding their way up our tomato cage.  I'm not sure what will happen when the fruit begins to develop.  This will definitely be a learning experience. 



My potted herbs are growing like weeds for the third year straight.  I've harvested huge handfuls of chives, oregano (oh, so much oregano), thyme, and rosemary.  I have some sparse parsley, a healthy start to my dill, and my basil just didn't make it.  If anyone has ideas on what to do with thyme and oregano, please share them with me.  I have these two herbs in overwhelming excess! 

And if you are a beginner gardener looking for a way to get started, I suggest going with a few herbs in pots of nutrient rich soil.  Rosemary is incredibly hearty and thyme seems to be infallible.  You will gain a lot of confidence and work your way up to vegetables.  (Fresh herbs also make great hostess gifts!)

Want to read some more gardening blogs?  Here are a few blogs I enjoy that post about gardening (and other things):

One Hundred Dollars a Month

Simple Bites

BGGarden.com (an Ohio blogger and gardener!)

Harmonious Homestead (another Ohio blogger and one of my favorites to follow on the web)

How is your garden growing this summer?  And do you have any favorite gardening blogs to share with me?

We Dug a Hole

We made a decision.  It was not without some serious consideration, though.  In fact, Tim was ready to jump and I made him keep his feet on the ground for a few days while I mulled it over.  I had to be sure that it was the right choice.

We dug a hole.  In our backyard.  We notified the community garden coordinators that we would not be participating this year and we dug a hole.  When you dig a hole--in your backyard--it's semi-permanent.  You can plant grass seed there, but it will take a long while for it blend in, and until that happens there will be a reminder that you dug a hole.

As I said, this was all Tim's idea.  A very good idea, I admit.  He knows that I truly enjoy gardening and fussing over our plants so he suggested that instead of commuting back and forth to the community garden, why don't we just plant here?  I didn't have any major objections except natural hesitation about digging up the healthy grass.  The purpose, it seems, of many community gardens is a place to plant for those who don't have the space to do it at home.  And while we completely appreciate the opportunity Mason was offering us, I couldn't deny that it would be easier to care for and water our plants at home.

I attempted to assist as Tim assembled the cedar box, but I'm not much help when it comes to power tools.  The dogs seemed to think we were building a playground for them, jumping in and out of the boxes and sniffing the perimeter. 

The really hard work was digging the hole--which, thankfully, Tim handled.  I brought him iced tea, distracted the dogs (somewhat unsuccessfully), and cheered him on from the patio.  After the hole was complete, we filled it with really great soil.  We mixed together humus and top soil to create the ideal garden bed for our plants. 

Because our garden was facing east-to-west, we needed to arrange taller plants (like tomatoes) towards the northwestern side of the boxes and the shorter plants (like cabbage) to the south-eastern side of the boxes. Next we laid down a recycled fabric that will will prevent weeds from being able to grow around the plants.  Then we mulched around the plants to maximize the moisture retention of the soil and reinforce the weed prevention.

We ended up planting a handful of tomatoes, a few different types of peppers, two eggplants, two cucumbers (at Melissa's request), a butternut squash, a watermelon, a broccoli, a red cabbage, and a pumpkin (that already has big blossoms).  Yes, it's ambitious, but I'm excited.

I have a good feeling about the garden this year.  I can't think of what we else we could have done to set ourselves up for a better harvest, and I'm proud of us for trying again after a disappointing experience last summer.  Overall, I'm optimistic that we are going to have a great summer filled with canning, freezing, drying, and consuming what we grow.