Planting the seed!

When we moved into our current home three years ago I knew that I wanted a garden. I knew that I wanted to plant, grow, cultivate, till, plant and grow until my fingers fell off. What I didn't know was that Mother Nature would do her damnedest to help and to hurt me all at the same time.

Kid2 clapping for the beans

Our first plot. 20X4, spinach,
tomatoes, lettuces, beans, cucumbers

What started as a weekend affair soon became a massive obsession: gardening is my "center". I never feel as calm or at peace as I do when crouching in the dirt, coaxing a seedling to show its face to the sun. In the very beginning I spent hours looking for cinderblocks on Craigslist and Freecycle. I drove an hour away with two small kids to a decrepit farm in Polk City to grab as many free blocks as my very-un4WD Nissan Sentra could fit. Soon I had enough for a 4X13 foot plot, plenty for our first run. I ordered a few cubic yards of dirt from my favorite local landscaping company, their "garden mix" is truly delightful. By the beginning of November I had sprouts of all shapes and sizes, and I. WAS. HOOKED.

The boys were much younger then, Kid2 was just starting to take his first steps, and Kid1 was 6 months out of the hospital after having a brain tumor removed (he's just fine, thanks for asking). I was still a stay at home Mom 90% of the time and I knew that this venture would get us out of the house and just heal everyone. Plus, having grown up with a backyard garden, I knew the boys would love the chance to get muddy and watch things grow. Kid1 always made sure there was plenty of watering done, (he even left my hose on for a whole DAY, once) and Kid2 developed an extraordinary affinity for popping the heads off of my marigolds, which thankfully inspired some of the biggest "bushes" I'd ever seen (initially I was worried).

That season was short, the colder than normal weather stunted almost everything except for the spinach, and then a balmy early Spring brought my first experience with bugs. We pulled up the remnants of the plot and I turned everything over, ready to plant again. BUT THEN!!!!! Our local ReStore brought in a pallet of concrete blocks, we were ready to expand. It's better if I show you this part in pictures. :)