My Garden!

I am really proud of my garden this year: it is the first year I have attempted a BIG garden and I've been pretty successful. Of course, I didn't know quite how to space things, or that the zucchini plants would be 3.5 feet tall (yes, really!), so it isn't as "neat" looking as I would like, but it is producing and I couldn't be happier! The above picture is my garden; the really tall vines are hops for James' beermaking. And Bella had to be in the picture, too!

My yellow squash and zucchini- I'm going to be freezing a TON of this. And discovering all sorts of new zucchini recipes. Next year 2-3 plants will be enough. I think I have 10 total.

My green beans. They are bush beans but the wind got these very early on and they fell over. They still are putting out a ton of beans though; I just picked my second round. Last week, I microwaved cut green beans, 1/2 tsp of butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little water for 3 minutes. I topped it with a slice of cooked, crumbled bacon= YUM!!!

Blooms on the cucumber. I don't plan to make pickles, James just wanted cucumbers. I think I have 3-4 plants so he should have plenty. And maybe Ill be making pickles after all!

Tomatoes, being taken over by zucchini in the back. Yes, I know the spacing is too tight, again, my first year. But I have a ton of flowers so I think they will still do well. I plan on making and canning lots of sauce.

I have 3 containers- maybe 2 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter. Here is one with my pepper plants and my first baby pepper.

Onions. Some are green onions and some are regular, I am still weeding the regular ones out. Another container is squash; next year I will do strawberries in that one.

Just for fun: lilies I picked from my huge flower bed by the fence. Last year I didn't get many blooms so I am thrilled to see a ton this year!

I also have a few carrots and a watermelon plant, which has yet to make a watermelon. We'll see. I think to put this all together, including the edging to make a big garden, soil, manure, the 3 containers, fencing and seeds, this was $75 or so. A lot of that was the initial stuff; next year I'll just have to do seeds, manure and soil for a total of less than $20.

Not only am I saving money, but this is all organic and FRESH! Veggies are usually picked way before they are ripe to allow for shipping time, especially tomatoes, so the difference in taste is amazing. Not to mention all the gas and manpower required to transport veggies to you.

If you aren't sure about a garden, buy a couple flower pots and pick 2-3 things to grow; you can expand from there. Picking your own veggies is really rewarding!