OK, I NEVER would have guessed this is where our garden would be at this point!

I posted 2 weeks ago about the vegetable garden we had planted around Mothers Day.  Thought I would give you a garden update.

This is where it was the day we planted.

This is where it was a month later.

This is where it is 2 weeks after my last post.

HELLO!?!?!?

Needless to say, when “they” tell you all you need to do is have good soil, lots of sunlight, and water, “THEY” are right!

It has been such a fun project that has taken off so well (though I’m sure this is where the tough part comes in…keeping it alive, knowing when to harvest, when to thin things, when to stop things from going to seed….yeah, all THOSE things that “THEY” didn’t tell you when “THEY” told you how easy this all was to do.

Honestly, I’m not going to lie.  So far we LOVE the vegetable garden and can’t wait to enjoy the fruits of the labor.  Everyday we talk about something else we want to plant.

Did any of you plant a garden??  I would love to hear about it.  Please comment below and share any tips and tricks you have learned!

Here are a few things that I’ve learned….

1. When you have an ugly cinder block wall that your neighbors built before you moved in, and that you curse everyday, you will learn to LOVE it when you realize that its reflecting LOADS of sunlight on your raised beds!  You just need to be sure to water much more diligently.
2. And when it comes to watering, using a watering wand on the end of your hose is VERY helpful. It lets you get to the actual base of the plant, rather than showering the leaves (which could bring on a host of other problems), but mostly it makes sure that each plant is actually getting the water each needs.
3. That you should not plant mint directly into a vegetable bed as it will take over your beds from under the soil.  Who knew???  I actually read this tip from Homegrown LA, who suggests you plant mint in its own pot outside of a vegetable bed.  However, my mom gave me another tip, which is that you can keep it in the bed, but plant the the mint  IN the pot, IN the bed!  Brilliant!  Now it looks like its part of the garden, but it’s actually in it’s own little pot under the soil.
4. That cucumbers can grow in a trellis. SERIOUSLY??  This seemed so bizarre to me!  But after reading this tip, I’ve actually seen quite a few examples.  They are natural climbers.  So if your limited on space, give ‘em a ladder!
5. Love this post by Homegrown LA on Apartment Therapy ~ Homegrown LA on Growing an Edible Garden, in particular these tips,

“When space is sparse, I recommend planting multiple veggies in every pot – a single tomato plant can be flanked by 2 pepper plants and 2 basil plants in an 18-inch deep pot. I also recommend sending any natural climbers up, such as cucumbers, melons, and pole beans. A simple lattice structure behind these plants will do.”

I’ve also found a few books to be very helpful.

52 Weeks in the California Garden

This book is about all areas of gardening in California, not specifically vegetable gardens.

Western Garden Book of Edibles

The Western Gardening book is a bible in the gardening world.
And this particular book focuses on edibles.

I have not tried this book, but it has high marks and I’m planning on ordering.

Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces

We are so excited to start really enjoying things from the garden!  The Littles think it is so fun…Addie goes running to the beds each day to see what else has grown.  I’m planning on making a big salad for our Father’s Day pool party this weekend from the garden, YUM!!

And truly, I’VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE! I was a certifed black thumb.  If I can do this, so can you!!  Remember that tip above?  In an 18′” containers you can grow a tomato plant, peppers and basil…so GO FOR IT!  You don’t need raised beds to grow things…

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

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