Garden

We decided to do a garden this year.  Last summer we moved in mid June and it really was to late to get a garden in, so all year we looked forward to planting one!  Well, like every project Alec does, it is huge.  The garden is 40ft x 25ft, with a 5ft fence around the entire thing.  Go big or go home right?  We started some of our seeds indoors, and others of them we started right in the ground. 

Our garden includes:

• Broccoli
• Tomatoes (cherry & beefsteak)
• Potatoes 
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Green beans
• Yellow beans
• Spinach
• Basil
• Cilantro 
• Snap peas 
• Corn 
• Sunflowers 

We just recently have started to be able to enjoy the first fruits!  I was able to pick tons of basil and made some delicious pesto that I have frozen in small containers to use over the next couple months.  We used some snap peas in our stir-fry tonight.  And also picked the first of our spinach and cilantro (which I cannot WAIT to use in some guacamole!)

 Putting the seeds/transplants in the garden late May (5/27):

Starting to get some action (6/16)!

 And here are the most recent pictures from today (7/7):

 Almost everything is doing really well!  Only about 3/4 of the peas germinated, not sure what happened there and they had a slow start but seem to be climbing now.  Some of the corn was too shaded, so Mike and Alec went chainsaw happy and fixed that problem, they are doing much better now. 

We are going to have tomatoes coming out our EARS.  I have no idea what possessed Alec to start and transplant this many, they are fun to grow though because they get big so fast and produce tons.  I think I may have to borrow my mother-in-law's kitchen, canning equipment, and canning knowledge for tomatoes!  I would love to get into canning, but don't feel confident enough yet to take that on and get all the equipment needed for it.  

The corn is knee high by the 4th of July, right on track!

Green beans should be starting any day, they all have tons of flowers on them.  We are going to plant more seed here in the next day or so for a second crop.  I will blanch and then freeze them to have throughout the winter. 

And of course we have yet another project going on.  Alec is installing a deck behind the other sliding door.  It will connect to our current deck.  He has all the lumber already, now he just needs the time to get it done!