Sunday, May 3

Vegetable Garden

Today the boys came over and we planted a little vegetable garden in the bed that we cleaned completely out except for the Oriental poppies and a few Iris.

First on the agenda was asparagus. Now we won't harvest anything from it this year because it takes two to three years to become established. Next year we should get a light crop and then the following year we should get quite a bit. This will be a nice treat as I love asparagus and it's very expensive to buy at the grocery store or roadside stands. Growing my own, I also know it won't be sprayed with a lot of chemicals.

Then we planted some beefsteak tomato plants. These always do well here and each year since the boys were little we've planted them. The plants we have are nice, healthy looking plants. As they grow, we will have to stake them to keep the plants standing and healthy.

Green onions were next on the agenda. The boys dug the holes and planted the bulbs. We should have lot of green onions this year. I love chives and this will give us our own.

Then we planted a row of leaf lettuce. I'm hoping that it grows. I don't have a lot of luck with seeds, but we will know within a couple weeks if any of it's going to grow. I love leaf lettuce and we planted a row about five feet long. That should give us enough for our own personal use.

The boys aren't big on tomatoes, but will eat the ones that they help grow. I'm hoping that planting this small garden will ease the cost of groceries a little and provide some homegrown produce for us to enjoy.

I wish we had more space. I'm thinking of going to the farm store and buying some galvanized watering troughs (the ones they use to water cattle) in which to grow vegetables. Many city people are using them to plant a small garden. I just have to figure out if we have a place to put them where the plants will get enough sun.

Do you grow a vegetable garden? If so, what type of vegetables do you plant for your family to enjoy?

Have a great week. We have perfect weather here for outdoor chores. We really need to get some things done before Wednesday when the rain is to move in once more.

19 comments:

  1. mary...another lovely post!
    We do plant a garden, filled with BeefSteak and Cherry Tomatoes, Cilantro, Green and Red Peppers, Green Beans, Cukes, and Jalepenos...ahhhh yes, lots of Salsa!
    Next weekend, our plants will go in the ground!
    I'm looking forward to photos of your salads!
    ~AM

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  2. We don't have a garden, but after reading this, I would like to try again. We had a lot of problems with bunnies eating our veggies so gave up!

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  3. I am planting mine tomorrow.... got most things ready today but we have had rain rain rain and everything is a muddy mess,,,,,,, but I am planting in 1/2 barrels this year.... I will keep close touch my friend via email for a while.......

    Love ya

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  4. I usually plant a few tomatoes and herbs and have a raspberry and rhubarb patch. Our soil is poor so I have had little luck with other vegetables. You will have to keep us updated on your garden.

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  5. Mary this is fantastic news, we have a vege garden too, I had to move it from where it use to be but I'm now growing rainbow silverbeet, brocolli, avocado, celery and other herbs. I recently harvest a huge load of tomatoes as you saw and the good thing about it is that when you eat homegrown stuff you know where its come from and what's been put on it rather than pesticides etc.

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  6. Wow, your garden will be wonderful my friend.

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  7. I used to grow tomatoes, onions, radishes, lettuce and lots of other veggies in beds around my apartment but I'm not able to give them the attention they need any longer because of my arthritis so I had to quit gardening several years ago. I still get gardening fever something fierce and I miss it so much. I have a very green thumb and can grow anything, inside or out.

    Good luck with your veggies, hope they grow well for you!


    Have a great new week, Mary. :o)

    Love and hugs,

    Diane

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  8. I hope to see your garden this summer. :)

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  9. Hi Mary...
    If I DID grow a garden, I'd have a pumpkin hill, some cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell pepper for sure. Those are all easy to grow and I love all of 'em in salads. Of course I eat a lot of tossed salads. I think I'd prefer to plant the red onions [they are expensive here in the states --well, at least compared to yellow and Bermuda]. And always a patch of garlic....those plants seem to keep away bugs. [we always had a terrible time with cutworms and garlic kept them at bay.]

    Hope you can reap a lot of goodies from your garden.

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  10. Good luck with your garden. We planted 8 rows of red potatoes a few days ago. It is raining today, we still need to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and onions.

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  11. Sounds like a big garden for a small space.
    We've had to grow in pots on the patio the last few years. They do not do as well but we had good luck with Zuchinni and pepper.
    This year we have the space and sun to plant in the ground. We have tomatoes, bell pepper, Zuchinni, squash, corn, so far. Honey Bear asked me to go out there and check on them when I could. Right now, I'd have to swim through the wet grass. He will plant Okra, also and I want some Zinnias. They are nice cutting flowers.
    Sandi at Holding Patterns is planting in plastic bins.
    Mama Bear

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  12. I had a perennial garden for a few years but no veggies.

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  13. I am so glad you finally got some nice weather, so did we, hooray!
    I know the boys enjoy helping you with your garden, great way to get them to eat vegs. I also started some asperagus, love it and the thought of being able to pick my own is super. Now don't forget you can put some things in pots, like pepper plants. Peas and Beans grow up so they can go on trelis. Best of luck to you.

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  14. Sounds like a day well spent with those you love so much!!! It rains here almost daily. I cannot get in the yard to weed or plant anything. Hugs..m..

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  15. In our little garden out back we have planted tomatoes and strawberries... we will plant cukes, squash, onions.... in the garden we are sharing with our neighbor and in-laws, there is corn, butter beans, green beans, potatoes, and okra planted..

    When I was younger and all our family still home... I did some canning and freezing of the vegetables... don't need so much for just the two of us now...

    I grew cukes and squash in pots one year right at the back door...I think the watering trough gardens would be so much easier to plant and pick... good idea...

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  16. We don't have room for a garden... but even if we did...I have black fingers and toes. I can kill anything.

    It's awful...because I love outdoors and dirt and flowers and veggies....

    Mom has even gave me plants and she would come over and water them... they would still die.

    I think I'm cursed..LOL

    Love, Jess

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  17. I just cleared out my small garden space. I need to get plants and get them planted. I grow only plants, the rabbits eat anything I have ever planted by seed. I plant tomatoes, red, green, yellow, orange peppers, jalepeno's, eggplant, and sometimes acorn squash or cucumbers.

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  18. Good for you for planting a small garden, you will love it! As you know, we have a large garden here and although it's a lot of work, it's well worth it. We can't plant anything until the first week of June, though, otherwise there's still a chance of frost until then. We grow potatoes, carrots, beets, cucumbers, yellow beans, tomatoes, onions, chives, garlic, dill, zucchini and peas. We tried growing lettuce and cauliflower but had no luck with it. This year I want to plant some green peppers so hopefully it will grow well. xoxo

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