grow a garden

take a picture of my lovely herb garden, before it dies with the first chill. It was an inadvertent foray into gardening, the herbs just showed up in my CSA box one week, and I had to do something with them! My sister helped me get them potted, and they have THRIVED! It’s been such a joy to tend to them. I feel like a nervous parent, fretting over them when they look droopy, overjoyed when I see new sprouts.
The tomatoes didn’t fare so well. Rest in peace, little tomato plants. I’m sorry I didn’t keep the bunnies away from you :(

but my CSA subscription inadvertently provided me with one. I now have a lovely garden with a tomato plant (used to be two, but damn rabbits ate one before I could cage it), sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, hot chili peppers, marjoram, cinnamon basil, lemon basil and chives. Yeah! I’m trying so hard to cultivate my little herb garden plus tomato plant, and I think I might be inspired to do even better things next year. Here’s hoping…

I had a flurry of motivation in the last two days, and I’ve worked so hard on transforming my hideous flower beds in the back yard into something pretty to look at. I got some hostas and impatiens and put them all in the ground yesterday and today. Problem is, little bastard squirrels trampled the hostas within mere hours of their transplant, and had the nerve to pull one up by the roots this afternoon! I found it carelessly strewn on the lawn, discarded like trash. I was so crushed :( I feel homicidal! Those little buggers nearly ruined my very first gardening attempt. My sister suggested protecting them with a little tent of chicken wire until the hostas are a bit more hardy, but I’m still bitter.

with some tomato plants that I received in my box from my local farm that I purchased a share from (Bluebird Hills Farm). I was intimidated by the fact that, among my regular vegetables, they gave me two tomato plants and a marjoram plant. When I read my newsletter for this week, I noticed that more herb plants were on the way next week too. I decided that before I killed my tomato plants, I better get on board and learn how to garden sooner rather than later.
My sister came down today and we went to the lawn and garden store to pick up some essentials. We then spent the afternoon having a discussion on cultivating soil and garden beds and I really learned a lot! We got the tomato plants and marjoram in the ground, and I got started on cleaning up the flower beds in my yard that have seen better days. It’s a start!

I decided to add this to my list because I have so many fond memories of my Mom’s garden when I was young. We had tomatoes, watermelon, squash, cucumbers…you name it, we grew it. The fruit and vegetables tasted so fresh, so succulent, that I remember it vividly to this day. Produce just doesn’t taste that way anymore! I don’t think I betray my age making such a comment (of the “back in MY day” variety), but the taste of produce really HAS changed through the years, thanks to pesticides, GMO’s and other flavor-killing agents. I would love to create a little patch of garden space at my new house (even if it IS in North Dakota) and relive a little bit of my childhood.