How does our garden grow?

IT'S TIME TO GARDEN!!!!

For the past 3 years Nick and I have had a vegetable garden. Okay, okay...Nick has had a vegetable garden. I am good at picking stuff, NOT good at growing!

I am not a huge fan of vegetables, but I do enjoy growing the ones I like and using them fresh in meals. Its really awesome to see your food go from seeds to food on your plate. It's a very rewarding hobby and Nick is quite good at it. Not only does he garden, but he also does a lot of pickling and canning. He makes pickles, beans, jalapenos, stewed tomatoes and salsa. Family and friends put requests in throughout the year for this stuff. We've shipped jars to Arizona and Fargo and anytime family come over they usually leave with a jar or two. The only thing on the list that I eat is salsa and it is delicious!

 

Here is our process for gardening.  Let me start by saying this is Nick's baby/hobby.  I do not have a green thumb.  Let me repeat, I do NOT have a green thumb.  In years past I would plant something and it would die instantly.  So now Nick treats me like parents treat their children when they decorate a Christmas tree....I plant and when I'm not looking he replants, and they grow.  I'm okay with this, I own the fact that I can kill anything, its okay. However, this year I AM in charge of herbs!!! Yay me! People tell me "herbs are the easiest thing to grow, you can't kill them." I have accepted the challenge!!! I started from seed cilantro, oregano and dill. I think I need to get some parsley, maybe? Nick needs the dill for pickling and cilantro for salsa and he has graciously let me plant them. He has such confidence in me, silly man!

Our garden begins with plants we buy and others we start from seed.  For several weeks our kitchen table is consumed by dirt and seeds, but its temporary.  Then lots of tilling and weeding before we plant.

Then Nick takes over.  He waters it, cares for it, pretty sure he talks to the plants and they grow!  I usually step in when weeds need to be pulled and I'm really good at harvesting the goods!  Oh...and I wash them really well!

This is what our garden currently looks like. 

Its the biggest its ever been and is going to be a lot of work.  Weeding is the worst!!!  Its so hard to keep up with it.  To this point we've eaten strawberries from the garden and tomorrow I will be making a tortellini dish that uses spinach from the garden!  So exciting!  This first month is the hardest though, lots of weeding, watering and waiting for things to produce, but once it starts...look out....we have to harvest everyday

                                       practically if we want to keep up!

 On another note...

This year Nick made me a potting bench!  The bench is so awesome, most people think its too nice to be outside, but that's what he made it for and what I wanted!  It is only half complete though.  Mom and I found an old door to paint and attach to the back of the bench.  Then I (ok Nick) am going to put hooks on the door for small garden tools and a side bar for large garden tools.  I will post a pic once it is complete.