I'm just curious if any of y'all are growing your own veggies? Two summers ago I grew cherry tomatoes in a small planter & planted strawberries. Last year I only did the strawberries, but they only produced like 2 or 3 berries. This year the strawberries are loaded with green berries (yay!), and my hubz built me a raised 4'x10' garden box- in half of it I've got: 3 different types of lettuce, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, beets, multi-colored carrots (and marigolds for bugs).. and I have corn in little pots that will be transplanted to the garden box in a few weeks.

So far only 2 of the lettuces are harvest-able and I've been enjoying them in my sandwiches. It's been rewarding to grow and eat my own food- I think there's something to be said about picking something that's actively growing, rather than eating something that's been sitting in a truck/ grocery store for a week or two. Not to mention that I'll be saving $$ not having to buy produce- short the garden box supplies, which is a one-time expense.. it was only a matter of buying about $10 worth of seed packets. I'm pretty dang proud of myself considering I seem to kill off houseplants. lol

I have one tomato plant in a container that is rapidly becoming a tomato tree. And that is all.

I do, however, have a farmer friend and I am a member of his informal CSA (meaning I go pick up veggies once a week). Last week I got zucchini, squash, snap peas, onions, garlic, beets, carrots, potatoes. He has a sweet potato patch and corn and some other things planted now and we should be in tomato (and lope and watermelon) heaven sometime soon.

I agree that food tastes better and is better for you when you eat as close to the earth as possible (down with hydroponics and transcontinental shipping).

I'm jealous- I would love to be a part of a CSA, but I can't afford it. I'm sure I spend that much or more on produce throughout the summer, but I can't pay it all up front like CSA's usually want. I wish I could grow melons, I guess they don't grow well in my valley of the PacNW... I loooooove ice cold watermelon for my snacks/ desserts.

I have strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, spinach, peas, cuke, tomato, pumpkin, turnip and squash growing in my planter box and in pots. I just started harvesting the first of my raspberries and my blackberry has 2 berries on it that need to ripen. My strawberries are in a growing year, not fruit year, but that's ok. We've enjoyed spinach out of the garden, but that's it so far. Just waiting for our green tomatoes to ripen and other things to grow a bit. I love our little garden, its so nice to be able to go outside and pick spinach and then eat it moments later in a salad.....nom nom nom ;-)

Lucky girl! I want to grow raspberries and grapes, but the hubs won't let me because they bring in a lot more bees and he's deathly allergic. :\

Me ... I enjoy it. There something so yummy tasting about eating things literally JUST PICKED. It's a whole other kind of flavor.

A.

Not a lot of sun in my backyard, but I can manage to grow some okra. Got a late start this year - not producing yet.

I grow cucumbers and tomatoes. Some herbs, including stevia and mint for tea. We also have wild asparagus in the spring. We have a farmers market starting soon, I can't wait!

i live in an apartment, but trying herbs (the shallots died! ) tomato and a sweet potato plant. It would help however, if my cats would stop eating the leaves =p

Some CSA's allow you to start paying for the upcoming season starting in January as long as you have the last of it paid by May. Also, my CSA has a work-for-food option. That might be something to investigate.

This is my first year trying a hand at gardening, or "farming" as my fiance prefers to call it. Here are my "crops":

6 tomato plants (roma, heirloom, early girl and cherry)
2 cucumber plants
4 green bean plants
2 rows of sweetcorn
3 pepper plants (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow)
10 strawberry plants (that likely won't produce this year)
an herb spiral (basil, spearmint, peppermint, sage, rosemary, tarragon, basil, thyme, garlic chives, cilantro, catnip)

So far so good! Although, I have noticed that a neighbor up the street has some cherry tomatoes already. I'm getting anxious for mine to pop up!