2015 Garden {Week 1}

Over the weekend, we planted our 2015 Garden! 
I always try and get my garden planted by the end of April/beginning of May.
Last year I didn't get it planted until the early part of May, but since our weather has been so nice, in the 70s this weekend, we decided to get it planted!

Kevin grew up with a garden in their backyard & so did I.
We LOVE homegrown veggies. 

They taste amazing...there is nothing like picking veggies straight from your backyard!

I get so excited in April when it is time to start thinking about our garden.

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

My girls love having a garden also, they love helping me plant it, water it & pick the veggies.
I always try and get my garden planted by the end of April/beginning of May.

Here is our 2015 Garden:

Each year, we get new dirt for our boxes & Kevin mixes in the new dirt with the old dirt.

This year I also got this Organic Fertilizer to mix in:

I got it at our local nursery.

4 years ago, Kevin built me these 3 Garden Boxes:

Every year, I plant veggies in all 3 boxes.
Here is what is in Box #1:

Romaine Lettuce:

Kale (this is my first time growing kale)

This lettuce is perfect for salads!

Red onions:

 Carrots from seeds (usually I do orange carrots, this year I am trying out the colorful mix.

 Kate grew a bean plant at school in science, so we replanted it in our garden:

My strawberries that I planted last year came back randomly a few weeks ago!

Dill:

 Oregano:

 My Rosemary plant from last summer is still growing strong

 Cilantro:

 Basil....the smell of basil reminds me of summer!

 Chives:

Box #2:

 I have 4 types of cherry tomatoes in Box #2:

Husky Cherry Red:

 Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes:

Super Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes:

 Sun Sugar Orange Cherry Tomatoes:

  I also plant squash (only 1 squash plant this year because of the drought)

 Zucchini! My favorite! Again, only 1 plant because of the drought:

 I love growing zucchini because they grow a ton & I have several recipes that use zucchini!

Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins:

Blueberry Zucchini Bread:

  Zucchini Lasagna

Pasta Primavera with Bacon:

 Santa Fe Zucchini Boats:

  My 3rd Garden Box is reserved for my favorite....Early Girl Tomatoes!

I love early girl tomatoes....they are a medium size & are so red. They are perfect for sandwiches, hamburgers, caprese salad, etc.

 I plant 5 Early Girl Tomatoes in this box:

We also a few fruit trees planted on the perimeter of our garden. 

We have a mandarin orange tree:

 And, 2 apples tree....Fuji & Honey Crisp (you can see them on the left hand side)

The past 4 years I have planted vegetables along the right side of the garden boxes, like cucumbers, pumpkins, cantaloupe & watermelon. It is so fun to grow those, BUT...we are in a MAJOR drought here in California......it's really bad. We are on water restrictions, so I am not planting those veggies since they are vine veggies and require A LOT of water. 

The rest of my vegetables don't take as much water...but I am willing to skip out & cut back on my showers....nothing gets between me & my homegrown tomatoes ;)

Here are my gardening tips in case you have a backyard garden!

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

We use a raised garden boxes that Kevin built. 

They are 4x8 and made with redwood. This is our 5th summer having them. I love them!

2. Make sure you water your plants 3 times a week during mild weather and every other day during a heat wave.

***For drought areas, like us here in California, we are on rationing, so I am going to water 2-3 times a week, but I am going to water directly on the base of the plant with a trickle, so that the water goes straight to the roots.****

3. Get new dirt each year, more specifically one for gardens. 

We order a Garden Mix from our local nursery. I also add an organic compost/fertilizer.

4.  Block your garden off with a fence (or barricade) if you have a pet who likes to ruin your garden. 

Last year, our yellow lab dug up half our garden within 24 hours of planting it & I had to go back & by new plants the next day!

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

 

It's my 5th year using it and my tomatoes are usually out of control! 

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

Let me know if you have any other garden questions, gardening is one of my very favorite hobbies!