Our Garden 2016

I can't even over-exaggerate how weird 2016 has been for gardening. Every other year I am the lunatic who has been reading "The Farmer's Almanac" since February. This season, the May 2-4 weekend was suddenly upon us and I realized: usually by this time I've been growing all of my plants from seeds since eight weeks ago. And I realized: I need to get to the garden center. And I realized: I'm the worst.

So we packed up the kids and drove out to Heeman's. I was already growing sage, parsley, chives and strawberries (since they came up on their own - hey, thanks).

I picked up zucchini, cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce mix, kale, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, radishes and beets - the last two I planted as seed because they pop up quick. 

Got them in the ground, watered, caged the tomatoes. Explained to my offspring that any and all ripping of leaves will be punishable by Neflix-bans, and that was it.

Here are some photos.

The raised beds I built with my dad last year for under $100. I did re-fill them with 3-in-1 soil because they were a little on the low side. 

First bed has zucchini, cuc, broc, cauli, lettuce, kale and all the herbs. I was going to plant snap peas from seed but I forgot and now I'm too lazy.

Bed 2 is purely tomatoes. A tomato jungle, if you will. I have the usual beefsteak, roma, cherry. The more interesting ones would be the heirloom pink and heirloom black. I am so excited to cube those into a very minimalistic salad on a white plate with proper natural lighting. You know, for flavour.

And on the far right I have a new blueberry plant, a slew of strawberry plants, rows of crowded beets and rows of even more crowded radishes. I'm reluctant to thin them because I wonder if they'll grow super long and skinny which would be hilarious. (In my, and only my, opinion.)

So that's what's been keeping me busy besides reading short stories by Vonnegut and writing songs on guitar that I'm embarrassed to play in front of anyone else, and working through the week, and oh yeah being a mom. 

If I continue on this trajectory, Garden 2017 will probably just be an aloe vera plant on my kitchen counter.