Once upon a time I used to have a lovely vegetable garden out back. The past few years I've neglected the yard almost as badly as I have neglected myself.

Today I went outside to assess the damages. A few of my herbs have managed to survive despite my indifference but the spot where I once had a vegetable garden is completely overrun by grass and weeds.

So.. I began. It is going to take quite a bit of work to get it into shape but I am looking forward to the day when I can once again pick fresh leaf lettuce, napa cabbage, tomatoes, hot peppers, cucumbers, squash....

Nothing tastes quite like plucking a fresh cherry tomato and eating it right there.

Little by little bit by bit...

I did a lot of work yesterday and plan to do a little each weekday. Today I conditioned the soil is several large pots and will plant some seeds in a few days. This weekend will be the heavy stuff... tilling that patch where the garden used to be..

Way in the back I noticed some bamboo plants taller than me.. I must really have not been outside much to have missed them.. I didn't even know they were there. Maybe a good thing as my son never mowed over there .. the bamboo plants look so beautiful with purple wild flowers growing under them.
I moved a bench close by so I could enjoy them while they are in bloom.. sipping sunmade green tea and making plans about the garden.

The perilla plants are getting taller and the leaves large enough to pluck and enjoy. I know the seeds are edible but I don't know what to do with them. Unless I figure this out by this fall the seeds will just fall to the ground to grow in the spring.

Sounds like you are doing really well. I'll be moving to Houston this fall and when we get our house I want to have a garden. Maybe you can give me some tips. I've never had a garden before.

Oh man, I am envious! I rent, and I am free to till up a garden, but I rent from a relative who is a little domineering. She would come over and do whatever she wants to my garden, and I don't want to do anything here to encourage her to come by. I will have to wait until I either rent from a landlord who could care less, or I will have to wait until I purchase my own place.

Can you post a picture of the bamboo and the purple flowers? I'd love to see it.

I too would love to see a picture of the bamboo and purple flowers, it sounds so pretty.

Phantastica, is there a community garden in your town where you could rent a plot? Some of my apartment- and condo-dwelling friends do that and in a way I am envious because they meet other gardeners and share their gardens' bounty.

I have worked in my little backyard garden almost every weekend during April and I think I'll take a break today. I turned over the soil and pulled a few weeds last week and the soil still looks great. And my little plants are growing! Already see tomato blossoms and the squash is taking off. Am a little worried about one of my eggplant plants, but I think it's gonna make it. I also have to watch for snails to make sure they don't gobble all the leaves. I'd rather go all organic, so don't want to put any snail poison out there. Guess I need to sit up a couple of nights to catch them!

I posted elsewhere about my herbs; they are all in containers and doing well. They sit on a short wall outside the back door that divides the back yard from the side yard. I am already snipping fresh herbs to cook with and loving it. So glad they're in containers. First, they're easier to get to. Second, especially the mint is really taking off and would probably take over the whole garden if it could.

Eeeee!! I'm so excited to finally have soemthing to post in this thread!! I bought some dinner plate dahlias, smaller dahlias, lillies and a rose bush today!! Oh! And some peruvian daffodils which are really funky looking!

I can't wait to get out and get the beds ready but its raining again tonight!

Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll get together the beds for some veggies too...can't wait for beet greens and lettuce...

Casey

Brandi, I can’t wait for you to be able to start your garden. The fall will be a perfect time for you to get started by conditioning the soil.

Casey, you’ve got the garden bug! Good for you!!

Phantastica, have you ever thought of container gardening. You could plant flowers, basil, lots of other herbs, peppers, etc etc….

I’ll take a pic of the bamboo like plants and post. Gotta remember how to upload first. 

I've gotten a terrible sunburn from working out in the garden Sunday. I should have covered up better. I'm very late getting the soil turned over in the would be vegetable patch. It will be too late to count on too much from this years garden. But what it will be it will be. With the work this year, next year will be even better.

Every year at the Farmers' Market, I buy a "lettuce bowl" ... it's a variety of greens growing in a container, where you just pick them as you need them. Fresh and delicious! I found a photo of one online:


This is an excellent way to get a few more fresh veggies in on a daily basis. Sometimes, as I'm leaving, I grab a handful and eat them plain in the car as I go. I recommend you run-don't-walk to a local farmers' market and pick one of these up! (if you like salad)

So, I can't believe it but I actually went and *bought* cow poop today. If you had told my 16 year old self that I would one day be paying for cow poop I may have peed my pants laughing.

I hope $2 for 40 pounds of poop isn't a rip off...oh lets be real...paying for poop *is* a rip off!!

Casey

Phantastica, that container of lettuce looks absolutely wonderful. I wish I had done more container gardening this year while working on the vegetable plot.

hahah!

Casey, it sounds like your garden is coming along better than mine. We worked in it for 3 hours today, turning over more soil and getting rid of grass clods. I don't know if it was cardio, strength training, or insanity but I am pooped. Not cow pooped.. just pooped!

We still have one small strip to do but couldn't stand it anymore. We've decided to just plant with what we've done and take our time turning over the last little part. As hard as it was, I have to admit it was nothing compared to the first year we put a garden there. We had so many tree roots and building material to dig up (courtesy of our builders.. they just seemed to bury trash everywhere.)

If we keep it up season to season we shouldn't have to work this hard all at once again.

Did you use the black cow yet? Or is it still bagged? Good stuff, black cow.

That salad bowl looks awesome! I might look into one of my own. Do you know exactly what's grown in it?

I've got green bean and sugar snap pea sprouts coming up and the pumpkins and tomatoes are just about ready to go in the ground, after I harden them off for a few more days. Egads, the rhubarb is begging to be cut back already but I'm never used it before so I need to look into some methods of preserving it. There's nothing like growing and harvesting (and eating!) your own food. My herbs are all in containers and are looking great. In fact, I harvested some lemon balm and bay leaves yesterday. Okay, I'd better stop because I can talk about gardening for hours and bore everyone around me senseless! My son teases me because I read gardening manuals for fun.

There is nothing like fresh veggies. One year I made eggplant parm using veggies from my garden, even made the sauce from my tomatoes. OMG !!! it was the best thing I ever ate in my life. Unreal !!!

This year the garden will be small, but one thing I have to grow is my grape tomatoes

Oh no...I just make it *sound* like we are making progress ...

I am almost done getting rid of the red shale and then I have to mix the poop in when I work things up...which is going to be a HECK of a job...its like concrete right now. I'm not sure if I should water before I shovel or what. So the aforementioned poop is still in bags...I have to get it shoveled in soon before the neighbours see that I have paid to buy manure...I may get laughed out of town.

I think the description you are looking for is functional fitness. VERY functional fitness.

But you're right...this should be the worst of it and next year and every year after will be a comparative breeze!

Casey

YES! That's it!!! ff.. functional fitness. A perfect term.

All this talk of fresh vegetables sprouting up and being harvested has me in the mood for a nice salad for dinner. Store bought veggies will have to do for now.