Garden Update

It’s been just shy of 2 months since I planted my first garden. So far I’ve been able to harvest lettuce, basil, parsley, broccoli and as of last night, jalapeno peppers.  They were two smallish peppers that I turned straight into stuffed jalapenos to eat with our burgers and let me tell you they were HOT.  I had read that I could leave them on the plant longer to get hotter but I like them mild and wow, I’m glad I pulled them when I did.  It was SO NICE though being able to have those and not have to go to the store to pay an arm and leg at the store.

OK last I updated you, it was about one month ago:

Wow.  It’s amazing to look at that now.  Since then, we talked with our farmer’s exchange and they recommended we take out some of the dirt on the right bed that was having issues and replace with some soil.  He then gave us some FREE replacement plants with a few extra plants.  Super nice folks there!

 

This below picture is about 2 weeks ago, just about 2 weeks after the above picture. As you can see my tomatoes exploded and also the zucchini he gave us on the right there started exploding too.  The broccoli stems were hanging down to the ground and this is the day I took the broccoli plants out.

So it’s been about two weeks since that and I moved a  few things over in place of the broccoli and here’s where we are today:

 

As you can see the tomatoes and zucchini are taking over.Tomatoes from the side.  They’re trying to grow through the fence.

We’ve got a ton of tomatoes actually growing.

More peppers are under way

 

And I actually have blooms on my zucchini!

 

My parsley, basil, marigolds and nasturtium flowers are all doing well too. 

Look ma, I have a real garden! 

I really cannot tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this garden.  Yes, part has been frustrating but I love tending to it and I just can’t even explain the peace I get when I’m there.  I know it’s just two piddly beds but something really speaks to me working it.  Most recently, God really spoke to me through that right bed which had too much fertilizer. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.  I think this is particularly poignant this week as I stare down the excess of food in my life through Summer of 7.  Food is good.  Very good.  But too many desserts, too much unused food, too much caffeine, or too much take out is bad.  Even having a garden and having an excess that is not used is not good.  I was so happy to give away some extra basil yesterday and it was just so right.  Not that I want to pat myself on the back but I want to say that growing my own food, using what I need and then giving away the excess is definitely something I want to pursue more.