Garden Time!

When I was growing up, we always had a huge vegetable garden.  Some people gauge their success in life by the number of dollars in the bank; but my mother measured hers by how many tomato plants she set out and how many quarts of peas she put in the freezer.

My favorite garden vegetable is tomatoes, but the only garden we've had space for in recent years were tomatoes and peppers in flower pots.  The results were not very favorable.

So when the dogwoods began to bloom this year, the tug of the ancient ways asserted itself, and we knew we had to put in a garden.  Since we have not identified a good spot for a garden at the new home, and it is still chaotic, we decided to put it behind the my mother-in-law's trailer.  I bought a small Honda tiller (FG 110) at Home Depot to cultivate the soil, and it has turned out to be an outstanding choice.  It is fairly easy to handle, it starts with one pull, and it does a nice job of tilling.

We bought fertilizer and our plants at a small, old-fashioned farm store in Trinity.  Plants were picked over this year in most places, but they had a good supply.  The man at the farm store said that high food prices have led many more than usual to plant gardens this year.  We bought all sets - tomatoes, peppers (hot and mild), onions, squash, canteloupes, cucumbers and okra. My mother used to plant all but tomatoes, onions, and peppers from seeds, but we did not get started soon enough to do it that way.  We did not even consider crops such as peas and beans due to the lack of space and the preparation required.  We had to get it done quickly, and the result is a bit chaotic.

Everything is planted, and now we water and wait.  I can't wait for a plate of sliced tomatoes!