The Garden

 This has been a wonderful garden year.  A warm spring encouraged me to get things started a little bit earlier than in years past.  And, after several years of experience fighting with our wildlife neighbors we finally came up with some protective measures to ensure what we grew would be preserved for our mouths instead of theirs.

My Amazing Man built chicken wire frames around our raised beds~ complete with lids which are easily removed for maintenance.  My garden has never looked so pretty and "un-munched".  

This bed has green beans, leeks, radishes, beets, carrots, sugar snap peas, and more green beans.

One bed is completely devoted to strawberries.  They established themselves well this year.  It was hard to keep track because the kids eat them so fast, but I think in total we harvested about 10 cups of strawberries.  Hoping for more next year!! Would love to have some for the freezer.

Our black raspberry bush has blessed us with an abundance this year.  YUM.  We have eaten them with reckless abandon, and still have plenty making their way to the freezer.  

I grew my lettuce in a couple of large window boxes on the deck...which is far enough removed from the yard to deter deer and rabbits from nibbling.  It was so beautiful, I almost did not want to harvest it!  We had several large salads plus lots of thinnings for our sandwiches and tacos.    

There are also several tomato plants of three different varieties beginning to bud.  I worried about  them for a bit because the chickens took it upon themselves to do some drastic pruning to the young plants (didn't know tomato leaves would be tempting to chickens). Phil has since wrapped that area with chicken wire and the plants seem to be bouncing right back.  Phew!

My peppers are still really small, but I am holding out hope that they just need some hot days to get going.

Also planted a few hills of squash but not seeing much activity... unless my chickens "pruned" those seedlings, as well.

Basil, parsley, oregano make their  home in pots/window boxes the deck... and in one more area of our yard we are watching green tops of onions and potatoes grow with hopes of lots of activity going on underneath the dirt.

Love, love, LOVE watching things grow and munching the goodness.  The kids do, too.  Some years are good, others a bit discouraging.  So thankful for a good start to our garden this year.