21 April 2010

My green thumb

My name is Marie and I garden barefoot while wearing hot pink.
I love, love, LOVE gardening! There is something magically rewarding about digging in the dirt and then having thousands of delicious fresh fruits and vegetables to eat in only a few months. Last year I really wanted to start a garden but being 6 months pregnant, having an 18 month old, and a husband in Alaska, things just didn't get going. This year I was planning on just doing the small garden area that the previous owner had, but my father-in-law decided we should go big. So we are!
First, my father-in-law tilled the ground along the whole side of the yard. Then I thought I could start planting some spring plants (In Idaho we plant things to eat in early summer that people in the south plant as a winter garden. *Sigh.*) Then my father-in-law decided we needed more dirt. Dirt can't hurt, right? Well we got 12 yards worth!

To be fair, the power company said they need to take out 4 of our 5 trees because they are tangled in the power lines. So we are going to be using most of this dirt to cover up the tiny stumps left behind. (One, maybe two, of the stumps will be turned into a tree fort. More on that later.) So my dear husband and I went to shoveling yesterday. Our backs are sore and it's fabulous! Rosalee also got to "help" in the dirt and she's pretty much the happiest kid EVER! We've also told her that she gets to have a garden this year. Again, super excited. This is why-
1. She won't dig in the large garden because she'll have her own space to dig.
2. She won't pick and eat all of the tomatoes when they are still green. She will have her own tomato plants to do whatever she wants with.
3. We're starting a new tradition. Since the garden is technically my in-law's we'll turn Rosalee's space into the grandkid garden. Every year between Mothers' Day and Memorial Day (Yes, we have to wait THAT long to plant most things outdoors!) whatever kids can come to visit will get to pick out some plants and plant them in the grandkid garden. Then when they come to visit during the summer they can dig, pick, replant, etc. as much as they want.
Rosalee has informed us that she'll be planting strawberries, pretty flowers, and baby (cherry) tomatoes. She will have from the play house over about 4-5 feet for her garden. I'm pretty sure we'll decoratively fence off the rest of the garden to make her area extra inviting.

I haven't been able to start planting my seeds, but that doesn't mean I haven't started my garden! On Monday Jesse and I put in 15 raspberry plants. Sadly they just look like sticks in the mud now, but by June/July I should have some delicious berries to gorge myself on!

Rosalee helps by digging in the dirt and carrying sticks and rocks out of the garden area. Zeke helps us by just hanging out. We love having a calm, happy, non-clingy kid!
The trees will be removed tomorrow (Ironically on Earth Day...) and then we should be re-tilling the land this weekend, weather permitting. Then I'll be planting peas, carrots, potatoes, sweet onions, and radishes. We'll also let Rosalee plant her strawberries and maybe her flowers if she picks ones that are early planters. If we're still here in the end of May, we'll plant tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash.

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