We're building a grocery store.... in the back yard

parsley, mint & rosemary

OK, so this post took me an entire month instead of a few days to get written.  About a month ago, I mentioned I was planning a garden. As life got busier and more stressful, getting the garden started has become my lifeline. Getting seedlings started, nurturing them to life and getting my hands deep in the earth really relaxes me. Plus, the warm weather showed up about a month early so I had some outdoor catching up to do.

My first task was planning out what we wanted to plant. I wanted to choose things we eat a lot of and really enjoy. The prospect of a much smaller grocery bill was really intriguing.  I also wanted to make sure everything I grew was an heirloom organic variety. This took a little research on my part to find companies that had seeds not only to meet those high standards, but also that would do well in our growing region.

I see blueberries starting to form! yay!

I settled on 4 different companies based on what each had to offer:
1) Seeds of Change- asparagus crowns, catnip, cucumbers, lettuces & marigolds
2) Annie's Heirloom Organics- 2 tomato varieties, celery, watermelon, carrots & golden beets
3) Shenandoah Farms- organic herb plants
4)True Vine Ranch - Organic blueberry bushes

Next once the seeds arrived I set up a little incubator area in my living room. I bought some organics seed starting mix, moistened it up and then put a small scoop in each of my biodegradable seedling containers. I placed each container on a tray covered them with plastic wrap and put a grow light above them. Then was the hardest part.....the waiting. I am definitely an instant results kind of gal so this has been really tough. I'd water my seedlings every day and finally after about a week and a half I started to see sproutlings.

A word to the wise, just because the sprouts are looking healthy does not mean they are necessarily ready to leave their warm cocoon yet. I made that mistake to early (like I said, I'm crazy impatient) and had to start the process all over again with my beets and cucumbers. 

one of the overgrown & neglected raised garden beds we inherited with the house

While I was waiting on my seeds to grow, I've had plenty of work to do to get the yard ready. First I had to clear out all the leaves, weeds & dead plants left behind by the previous owners.  I also cut back the existing raspberry bushes so they could get healthy again and have some breathing space (they were completely overgrown).  Next I had to empty out the raised beds of the old dirt and put in new, organic dirt, since I had no idea what had been in there before and I didn't want to contaminate my wonderful organic heirloom veggies. What I thought was a simple job turned into a very grueling week-long project. So yes, gardening is definitely hard work but it will be so worth it! (not to mention my arms are starting to look great form all the digging).

Our cat, Isis, seems to enjoy all the outside activity too. She's never been an outdoor cat before, but with the security of a nice fenced in yard, we can't seem to keep her inside. She loves being out in the garden, and munching on leaves of my raspberry bushes (when she thinks we're not looking).

Another related project we started is a compost pile. I bought a nice stainless mini bucket for my countertop, complete with charcoal filter so it doesn't stink up my kitchen.  I place all my vegetable scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds in the pot. When it gets full, I empty it into a a bin my husband rigged up out of an old storage tub. He just drilled some holes into it the mixture could breathe. We have plans to get a big double barrel composting bin, but this was an easy to do free way to get started.  Once the mixture breaks down, it becomes a natural and effective fertilizer for my garden crops. No chemicals needed.

After the the little shoots get some bigger leaves on them and the ground is warm enough you can plant them in a pot, raised bed or a traditional garden bed. Be sure to keep watering regularly and to cover your plants in the event of a chilly night since it is a bit early in the year to be planting in some parts of the country.

I'll follow up and let you know how the garden is progressing. I also will talk about natural pest control.  Hopefully you'll be inspired to start your own garden. The food really does taste so much better when you grow it yourself!