Reflection of growing adventures

YAY! I found my first blog post! It didn't disappear, it was just in drafts! Silly rabbit!

There haven't been many attempts from me to grow a vegetable garden. Last year (2010), the Spring looked promising. With the help of my partner in crime, we prepared our small yard to hopefully yield some nice crops of veggies and herbs. By early March, I had vegetable starts on peas and tomatoes growing on my window sill. It was a marvelous sight to watch the daily growth of my potential new food source. We made some raised beds along side the house, which would later hold cauliflower, peas, broccoli, lettuce, carrots and radishes...or such was my hope.  The boxes were spectacular and my partner once again proved to me why I find him so appealing. There is nothing like a man who knows how to wield tools. A few trips to the local hardware store for bags of soil and we were ready to go. Everything was in place, from the seeds, to the starts. Spring cleaning of the yard became a daily ritual of mine, along with watering and observing my gardens growth. Then it became cold...

And pretty much stayed cold the remainder of Spring and most of the Summer. My tomatoes cowered away from the wind and rain. The broccoli and cauliflower did exceptionally well for my first attempt. I did not realize (RTFM) that they would grow so large and take up so much space in my very small garden. I had to transplant them to their own individual pots to allow for optimal growth. Now I know!

The lettuce also did well in the cold of the Spring. The constant rainfall of the Northwest assisted in nurturing the lettuce. It was difficult to keep the slugs off though. It seems they come along with the Northwest rainfall. *sigh* At least I was able to have a salad or two before my lettuce was gone.

I could go on about the various vegetables which failed to come to life under my watchful eye but this year will be different! This year the Spring weather will not hinder my garden's growth. I have taken various measures (mostly which involve large amounts of Visqueen) to ensure my plants stay warm and slug-free. My man built me a small cold frame, large enough for 4-5 trays of starts. Also, my raised beds will be covered to keep the soil and plants warmer. Spring is always such an exciting time for me.

I placed my Gurneys order yesterday.