Our 2013 Garden {Week 1}

For the past 3 years, I have planted a garden in our backyard.
Kevin grew up with a garden in their backyard & so did I.
We LOVE homegrown veggies. They taste amazing!

I get a little too excited every April when the weather turns warm because that means it's Garden Time!

I carefully plan out what I am planting in each garden box (that Kevin built for me!)

Each year, I have do most of the same things, but I like to try out something new each year.

Here is our 2013 Garden:

 Garden Box #1

Here is what is in Garden Box #1:

(This is my first year doing Spinach. I did Lettuce last year & it was awesome. Hoping the Spinach turns out well also!)

 I do Cucumbers & Carrots in seed form. I plant them in these little planting pots (so that the seeds stay put when you water them)

 I have all my herbs in the first garden box also:

 I was able to put a lot of things in the first box because the items I did plant in there don't get too big!

Garden Box #2

 

2 of these....yum!

Garden Box #2 didn't have that much because the Zucchini gets massive & so does the squash.

Garden Box #3

 This box is purely tomatoes. Normally I do 5 Early Girl Tomato Plants in this box. They are my most favorite homegrown tomato. They are the BEST!!! YUM.

But, this year, I did 4 Early Girl plants and decided to try my hand at an Heirloom Tomato. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Around the perimeter of our Garden, we have 4 fruit trees:

   In years past, I have crammed in too many "vine" plants into the Garden Boxes, so this year, I decided to utilize some of the space outside of the garden boxes. Keeping my fingers crossed this works out better & some of these plants don't take over the garden like they have in years past.

 The girls think our homegrown watermelons are weird because they have "black seeds" in them. Brings me back to my childhood when there was no such thing as "seedless" watermelon!

 My favorite thing (besides tomatoes) to grow...Pumpkins! We got TEN last year, from one little plant like this:

 Trying my hand at these, thanks to a recommendation from one of Kevin's co-workers:

 (Going to try and make homemade dill pickles with these!)

I have been asked if I have any gardening tips.

Here is what I would advise:

1. Plant your garden in a place in your yard that gets lots of afternoon sun.

2. Make sure you water your plants 3-4 times a week during mild weather and everyday during a heat wave.

3. Get new dirt each year, more specifically one for gardens. We order a Garden Mix from our local nursery. 

4.  Block your garden off with a fence (or barricade) if you have a pet who likes to ruin your garden. Our lab dug up 3 of my tomato plants within 2 hours of planting them. UGH. And, last year, she kept eating them off the vine. Bad Dog ;)

5. If you are planting Tomatoes, you MUST get this:

$5 at Home Depot. It works wonders!

I will update our garden progress about once a month, it's such a fun little hobby, and the girls LOVE helping me plant, water & pick the veggies.

Do you have a Backyard Garden? What is your favorite thing to grow?

Let me know if you have any other garden questions (and feel free to add your tips!)