The Vegetable Garden is off to a Good Start!

The hard work is done…and it was a particularly arduous spring in the garden. After producing several years of amazing harvests, the soil was worn out. Try as I did to amend it, my small compost heap could not keep up and the soil was basically sand. Last year our yields were down and I knew it was due to lack of organic material. It was time to bring in a pile of new garden soil.

There were no pictures taken of the pile of soil, but it was a thing of beauty! Oh, the smell of that fresh, rich soil invigorated me. I needed any boost I could get because the job of removing 8 inches of soil from each bed was draining. Wheel barrel after wheel barrel of old soil was spread around the property, and then loads of the new soil filled the beds.

The soil was amended and then the fun part could begin. I just love transplanting the seedling I've grown indoors. It's such a satisfying feeling. Last fall I sowed sweet peas seeds in various areas and they have been beautiful.

This view shows the four raised beds. The eggplants are in the bed to the right which is not raised.

Walking through this gate you enter the tomato arch.

Nine tomato plants are planted in the two raised beds on the left side.

Hopefully this summer the tomatoes will cover the wire and wooden arches which extend 25 ft. The thought of that gives me a little thrill. This year's selection includes Black Krim, Aunt Ginny's Purple, Pineapple Hawaiian, San Marzano, Jaunne Flamme, Ponderosa Pink, Chocolate Stripes, Amana Orange, and Super Sioux.

This is the first bed on the left. It is our herb bed, and there are four tomatoes with some basil planted between.

The next bed on the left has five tomatoes, basil and a rainbow of bell peppers; purple, green, yellow, red, and orange. The peppers have struggled. I may have been a little early in transplanting them, they like warmer soil. This past week they have started to grow, so there is hope for the bell peppers. The hot peppers didn't make it. I'll start new seeds this weekend and I'll try to remember next year to hold off on putting them in the ground until it is warmer.

Opposite that is the bed with the cucumbers (Boothby's Blonde and Ashley), carrots (Little Finger, Kuroda, and St. Valery), bush beans mix and Scarlet Runner pole beans.

The last raised bed is the strawberry patch. I cleared some of the older plants to make room for Minnesota Midget melons which will grow vertically. They are just getting started but look good so far.

This is my first time growing these melons. They are supposedly very sweet and small, large enough for one serving.

The strawberries are going strong. We've been eating them for a few weeks, and they are delicious.

There are five little eggplants in this bed (Ponderosa, Casper, Round Mauve, Apple Green, and Pintung Long). The Ponderosa was my favorite last year but this year it doesn't look promising. The first attempt didn't germinate at all, and the second round germinated but has been sitting there for weeks without its first true leaves. The struggle is real for Ponderosa.

Volunteer flowers are always welcome in moderation.

Blueberries are bountiful this year! Mine grow in pots along the back fence. It is a daily pleasure to go out to the garden and pick a handful of blueberries, strawberries, and spinach leaves to make a quick smoothie with nut milk. YUM!