My Kitchen Garden (sort of....)

I've always wanted to have a vegetable and herb garden, but felt intimidated by the entire process. Living in the suburbs, it is too convenient to drive a few blocks to the grocery store and purchase overpriced and scientifically engineered food. Well, I finally had enough and mustered up the courage to jump into the dirt, through trial and error, learn how to grow my own veges!

Now, all of you green thumbs and experienced gardeners are probably rolling your eyes or thinking, "how cute", but for this girl, this is a big step! First, I had to stake out the "perfect" plot of dirt, till it, fertilize, THEN start the planting. My sweet husband was worried that I would just walk outside with my shovel, start digging and drop in some seeds. I assured him, don't worry, I will do my homework (my pride will not allow me to fail this project...my family is watching from the sidelines wondering what will come of this new "Lucy" idea of mine to feed my family from mom's garden). My wonderful husband volunteered to till and prepare the dirt for me, which, after watching what it entailed, I was very thankful for. I have since sectioned out four smaller plots within the larger area, planted seeds in two of them and watch them like they are my children! I never knew how fun and rewarding gardening could be. I love digging in the dirt and watching God's amazing work as the seeds grow into plants. My children get so excited when a new row of seeds starts to pop through the surface. Okay, I admit, I did have visions of strolling outside within a couple of weeks of planting and plucking a nightly dinner salad...that may happen, with TIME. LOTS OF TIME. This is a true lesson in patience for me and I definitely need to learn that lesson!

A few of my new favorite books (aka Garden Bible and tutor):

1) The Kitchen Garden by Alan Buckingham 2010) - this book is awesome! It is a step by step, monthly guide for the extreme beginner who knows NOTHING about gardening. This book will guide you through the process without making you feel guilty for not having started sooner

2) Gardening for Food and Fun by The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (1977) - I found this vintage book at a thrift store, and yes, I admit I purchased it first because I thought the retro pictures were fun, however it has turned out to be a wonderful resource book!

3)Vegetable Gardening by Sunset Magazines (1974) - Another great vintage resource packed with useful information and retro pictures. Love it!

Jeremiah 29:5 "...plant gardens and eat what they produce..."