New blog....

New blog....

I've been inspired by Gardener of Eden and her lovely gardens and plots. Jealous, but inspired! Here in Northeast Ohio, we've been teased with just a few drops of rain. I've been watering nearly every day.

About My Garden

I have three raised beds that measure 4' x 16' and one raised bed that's 4' x 4'. I use the square-foot gardening method--at least, I try to. I'm still figuring it out. But I'm having a heckuva good time doing it! 


We just moved to the house last October, and  my dad and I built the raised beds ourselves this past March. By the time I got some dirt and amended it a little, it was April. I tried to get some peas going, but I think we were too hot this year, cuz they kind of fizzled and never really got going. However, I persevered and began with other seeds and transplants, namely peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, zucchini, radishes, tomatillos, onions, shallots, muskmelons, tons of basil (you can never have too much basil!), pumpkins (one's supposed to get to 300 lbs!), honeydew, beets, broccoli, and pole beans, and my little 4 x 4 has San Marzano tomatoes. I threw a few flowers in there too, to attract the beneficial insects. Then I have a little 4' diameter herb garden with a pot of rosemary sitting on a stump in the center and surrounded by different herbs, like dill, cilantro, lemon balm, catnip, oregano, and more that I can't think of right now. My sister-in-law and I traded seeds and plants, so we built up quite a store to put in. Tried the potatoes (Yukon Gold) in a barrel thing too. It seems to be working out okay, although I started late and it's not ready to dig up yet. 


I'm fairly new to this. I've had a few plants over the years (I'm 50), but never a garden this big. I'm having a ball though! I've put up cauliflower pickles, beets, and strawberry preserves; frozen about 40 lbs of peaches (Fancy Lady--excellent flavor!) and 20 lbs of blueberries from a local pick-your-own farm; going to freeze some of the stuff I get from Amish country (or "Amishville," as my daughter calls it), and hopefully get some of my own stuff in my freezer or canning jars as well. We've been eating the tomatoes and basil so far, and the broccoli is done for now. I put some Ruby Red Swiss chard in today (July 15) and some more beets. I threw down some more seed for broccoli a few days ago, but I can't tell if it's gonna take or not. Probably too hot. 

Interesting Things--to Me, Anyway

The surprising thing is what my kids have asked me to plant. My older daughter (20) wanted the Swiss chard, which I've never even had before, and some honeydew; my younger daughter (14) wanted the broccoli. Seriously, with the stuff they eat today, I never thought a teenager would want broccoli! She helped me plant it and harvest it though. My son (23) lives out of state, but he wanted eggplant. I told him if he came home and fixed for me, I'd plant it. Unfortunately, he couldn't get time off from work to garden several hundred miles away. <Sigh!>


My older daughter is a chef. She had to try new foods all the time at the cooking school she attended, so that's why she likes some of the different veggies and fruits. She loves fried cornmeal mush, too, an old-fashion dish my mother makes. You put it in a loaf pan and then when it's solid, you slice it thin and fry it in butter, then add syrup. I mean, really, who wouldn't like that?

Fall Planting

I'm planning on putting in some peas, beans, beets, and a few other things for the fall. Plans change day-to-day, depending on what's coming up or done in the beds. 

Next Year's Garden

Yes, I've already started planning next year's garden. I've really got the fever bad!