Monday, April 4, 2011

Homegrown

Is it just me or is your facebook page filled with Farmville updates and requests? This may be unpopular of me to say, but I don't do farmville. I can barely remember to water my REAL plants. There's no way I can take care of virtual ones. Almost everything I have ever planted has died a long, painful, thirsty death. I've really been quite ashamed of myself...until I started my backyard vegetable garden a few years ago.


It started with a few plants in 4ft by 4ft space in the sunniest part of the yard, and spread to a few pots of herbs. I now grow everything from seed, and my garden has produced beans, different types of tomatoes, gourmet lettuce, squash, cucumbers, peppers, rosemary, onions, cilantro, and basil. It has been awe inspriring to see a tiny seed grow into a waist-high plant in the span of just a few months. It has also been a learning experience for my girls, and they enjoy picking the fruits of my labor so much that I plant a few tomato plants specifically for them to pick and eat from.


Every spring, I have a few friends and family members join with me in backyard farming, and sometimes we even trade produce. Here are a few of our gardens this year in the early stages:







They are all different sizes and shapes, but backyard gardens are so worth it. I find myself in the summer, planning my meals around the produce I have picked that day, and trust me- my homegrown produce tastes so much brighter and fresher than the stuff I buy at the market anyday! If you love to cook healthy food for your family like I do, maybe backyard gardening is for you. And, if someone who lacks a green thumb as much as I do can do it, anyone can!