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?

A Battle Well Fought

Last night I accompanied Tim to a work dinner at the Boathouse.  When we arrived home, the sun had already set and a warm rain had just begun to fall.  As I stepped out of the car, I opened my hands to feel the drops and a memory came back to me like lightening.

The summer before Tim and I met was a bit of a low point for me.  I wasn't entirely happy with my employment and I was lonely.  I was still recovering from a broken heart that had lingered for over two years without healing; back then I had begun to wonder if I would ever feel happy again.  One evening, I think it was a Thursday night, I came home from a work function after dark and stood next to my car in a warm August rain.  It was like I was in some sort of trance, soon completely drenched, and I couldn't will any of my limbs to move.  It was one of those strange moments where I felt outside myself, as if watching someone else contemplate how to fix all cracks in her life.  I must have stood there for a half an hour while the rain fell until a car turned down the street and I snapped back to the present.

I met Tim two months later.

We married a little over two years after that.

And now, three and a half years later, we are expecting a baby soon.

I share all of this with you because every time the baby moves around, stretching his or her limbs, I can't believe how wonderful life can be.  Even I can see all of the differences between the woman I am now and the girl I was back then.  And as I approach my 30th birthday next week, I can whole-heartedly say good-bye to my 20s and all of the struggles and opportunities they presented me.  Last August, I committed (publicly, on this blog!) to living out my 29th year like a Victory Lap, and I think I have spent this time proving to myself that my 20s were a battle well fought.

What about you?  Are you fighting for your life?  I hope you win.  You deserve it.

Around Here (and a bit of news!)

Oh, hello there.  I've missed you.  Lots of time has gone by, I know, and I hope you know I've been thinking about you.  There have been lots of changes since the spring.  I know it's how the world works, and life will always shift and slide, this way and that, but sometimes it still takes me a while to process these changes.

I wasn't as enthusiastic about planting our vegetable garden this year as I was in years past.  I can't really explain why, but I think some of the disappointments and struggles we had last year with squash bugs and a few under performing tomato plants wore me down.  I don't know if it was luck or strong seedlings or the warm weather but our garden is really thriving this year.  We have a Black Prince heirloom tomato potted in a trash can on our patio that is finally beginning to ripen, as well as four other varieties of tomatoes in the garden bed.

The only things we've had a chance to taste were a few of the cherry tomatoes.  Tim popped them into his mouth straight out of the garden and proclaimed them the best cherry tomatoes he's ever tasted.

The tomato I'm most looking forward to is our heirloom Oxheart.  I chose this varietal because my grandmother, who passed away recently, told me her grandfather used to grow them, and she remembers eating them when she was a child.  A bulky, slicing tomato much like a beefsteak, this fruit starts in a shape similar to a strawberry until it fills out to an oblong fruit.  Every time I walk out to the garden and look at this plant, I think of her and how even though she's gone, we are going to be sharing an experience.  It means a lot to me.

Things are changing in our home and family as well.  It's largely the reason I've been absent from this blog for a few months.  I couldn't bear to cook anything with a strong  flavor, heavy aroma, or strange texture from March through June.  You can probably guess what was the culprit.  

Our little Nugget will be coming into the world in the fall, and I'm just starting to wrap my head around the idea of a baby (a baby!) being a part of our family.  Every time I feel the baby move inside my belly I can't believe how different things will be.  Tim and I have just recently started to prepare our house to make room for this little being which is starting to make the whole thing seem real.  Every time I walk past the office--err, the nursery--and see the crib sitting in there, I am reminded that we are bringing a new life to the universe.  It's equally strange and amazing.  


I have been back in the kitchen recently, though I can't say I'm particularly adventurous.  I've made some incredible buttermilk biscuits, Tim's favorite mint brownies, and an easy pork roast.  I know Tim is thankful that I've taken over some of the cooking responsibilities, and we have reduced the amount of take-out in our lives.  I will try not to disappear on you again, and I hope you will let me know what you've been up to lately as well.  


Oh, and not quite an announcement as much as a disclaimer:  we have had a bit of technology drama in our house and the computer that I was editing my digital photos on has given up on us.  Until we bite the bullet and buy a new computer, I will probably be posting photos from Instagram.  I am, however, excited to be attending a digital photography workshop next week and do hope to continue to work on my pictures for the site.