Garden Update....

The Garden is coming along nicely. I already have a few strawberries. I can't wait to make strawberry shortcake.  I'm thinking I might plant some herbs after the corn cycles through.  I found some great ETSY items that I might purchase once I plant some herbs...

Herb Garden Stakes (20.00) FromArtisansHands shop on ETSY. Aren't they great?

Square Foot Gardening. I'm so excited.

Today I started my square foot garden! This book is awesome.
April 26th was my birthday and my sister lent me her copy of this book and bought me a kit to build my own square foot garden. I had to buy the special mixture (mel's mix) of compost, vermiculite and peat moss. Today I got the square foot kit put together, attached weed paper to the bottom and  mixed all the soil up.

Later this week I will go and buy all the plants I want to put in my garden. I'm amazed at how much you can actually plant in this four by four square. If all goes according to plan, I will have enough for a full salad everyday of the summer! Totally amazing.

The best part about the square foot garden is that you can use the same soil year after year. You can plant and harvest in each square three times a year! And no WEEDS! 

I'm planning to plant tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, green and red peppers, onions, strawberries and carrots.

Kill the moles! No way. How about a container garden?

I absolutely love to make vegetable gardens. In fact, it's probably the reason I love spring so much. I have lived in my house for four years and I've attempted a garden every year. Attempted is the key word..... because I have moles in my yard!!!

Of course, I refuse to poison them as most people suggest. Instead I naively plant my garden and hope they won't ruin it. This never works. I have tried the traditional home remedies, Cayenne pepper mixed with vinegar with a touch of pepper. lol. My boyfriend thought that one was hilarious. Another option is always to flood the mole holes. I tried that once but I was worried I would drown the moles. Another option is a makeshift trap from a coffee can. This isn't an option because there is no way I'm going to carry a mole in a trap in my car to release it somewhere. (what if it got out in my car?)

This year I have decided I'm going to have a garden that produces vegetables! I refuse to buy veggies when I can grow them at home. My solution is to make a container garden. I bought some seeds from an ETSY seller tHeEndpeace. I chose a tomato seed called Black Krim
Don't those look yummy? She is an awesome seller, she took time to tell me all about this type of tomato. She also sent two other seeds types for free! Cinnamon Basil and Dill. I've started the seeds in damp paper towels wrapped in tin foil. They are starting nicely.

Next, I went to a local nursery and picked up the rest of my garden. I will have strawberries, hot peppers, green peppers, peas, rosemary, chives, tomatoes and whatever else I decide to add to the garden. For some reason I bought three different types of strawberries. I didn't even realize this until I got home.

I got coffee grounds for free from Starbucks! I mixed them in with my potting soil before I planted the veggies. I've always heard this helps plants grow faster and it' has seemed to work with my house plants. My sister says it's just because I have a green thumb.

I'm already thinking the pots I bought are too small. I actually went to the library and checked out some books on container gardening but of course didn't look at them, lol. I'm planning to keep them all inside for a while until it gets warmer.


Here's the start of my garden, we'll see how it goes. Any container gardening faux pas would be appreciated.