G is for Garden: Humbly cultivating life04/12/2011 2 Comments   Growing up we had quite a basic garden, and by basic I mean 1 tomato plant and 1 cucumber plant. In my younger years I preferred bologna and cheetos and anything from a garden was far from my interest. Today, my refrigerator would tell you much differently. I try my best to be conscious of what I am eating, where it came from, and what it went through before it arrived on plate. Needless to say it is time for my very first garden! My 2 roommates and myself are giggling with excitement and well on our way to grocery shopping in our backyard. Once the idea was planted (ha, get it?) we started from square 1. We went to our local garden store, Down to Earth, and frolicked around like children at candy store. When all was said and done we went home with 3 pairs of gloves, 2 trowels (hand shovels), a 22 inch machete, planting guides, pamphlets, 2 70.8 L bags of pro-organic dirt mix, a whole slew of seeds, and broccoli and brussel sprout transplants. The next step was quite simple, all we had to do was look up! It is crucial that your vegetables and such are planted in their appropriate sunbathing location. Some need as much sun as possible, while others prefer the nice cool shade. Once we found the perfect spot for our plot it was time to get our hands dirty! We spent several afternoons turning grass, tending to the dirt, and uprooting and clearing out blackberry bushes (we basically had the blackberry version of the Amazon Rainforest in our backyard). Our next step is to get our April seeds, transplants, and spuds in the ground. Here is a list of our quite ambitious menu this year... s= seed t= transplant ss= sow seeds indoors spud= I'll give you one guess April carrot-s, potato-spud, broccoli-t, spinach-s, beets-s, chard-s, cabbage-ss, brussel sprouts-t after the April 15th Celery-t, cauliflower-t May winter and summer squash-s or t, cabbage-t (from previous sowed seeds), tomato-t, beans-s, kale-s or t,zucchini-s or t June cucumber-s We also intend on having several herbs and and plethora of flowers in our front and backyard. Tips to remember... -Read local planting guides to find out the best plants and varietals for your area. -Find out what part of your yard gets the most sunlight. -Determine which vegetables you want to plant as seeds and which will be transplants. -Keep a garden journal for memories and guidance in future years. -Sing, whistle, and laugh while you work! and were off! My roommates tackling the blackberry bushes. The jungle starts behind them and goes (we can now say went!) all the way down to our back fence. Turning over the extremely overgrown grass. Our backyard at its current state. Over zealous? I think not. With love and dirt, Amanda