My Garden

My Grandpa Tolman loved to garden. He was very good at it. Growing up though we never had a garden because there was to much shade at my parents house. I remember the one year we tried to have one all we got was carrots. Alex on the other hand grew up gardening. When we bought our house we talked about planting a garden and where to put it. I was a little nervous as most of the responsibility would be on me because Alex works such long hours in the summer. Alex was nervous that I would kill them, so we decided to start with a flower garden. It didn't survive.



The flower bed in front of my house. Sad isn't it.

 Last year we got some starts for strawberries and raspberries for free from his parents garden that was getting a little over run. I weeded them quite often and would water them everyday, I found that I enjoyed working in the garden and that I like checking on my plants to make sure they were growing. We were told we should get fruit in early summer and fall. I waited.....and waited.......................and waited. Nothing grew.

I was sad that after all my effort the early summer fruit never came. Alex thought it was because we waited to plant them to long or they didn't like being moves. I kept at it though. You should ask my neighbors, every evening they would see me out there watering my plants. Especially my raspberries that by that time looked like little sticks someone just stuck in the ground. They thought I was crazy.

My strawberries this year

By fall time they were looking better with leaves on it and the strawberry plants were still green. I was surprised to go out one evening and discover that I had ONE strawberry! I was so excited I called Alex out to see. He thought I lost my mind I am sure, it was just one strawberry. But it was MY strawberry! I did it! I didn't kill it! I grew something! We got maybe a dozen (and that's being generous) strawberries last year and about the same on the raspberry plants which is sad considering I had 18 plants.

Fruit Trees

Peas

We have four fruit trees as well. Two apple, a cherry, and a pear tree. I LOVED going out each evening and picking fresh fruit off of the trees for dinner. I realized that I really liked gardening, watching something that I have loved and nurtured grow and become stronger.  Winter came and we talked again about what kind of Garden we wanted. Alex was still a little worried but I was ready to do it right then.



 He built me a box and just this Monday we finally found soil. We planted peas, bell peppers, carrots, and red onions. I also have some tomato plants that I planted by the strawberries. I was so pleased that when this week I went out to see TONS of little strawberry buds growing into fruit. The plants look very healthy so I must be doing something right. I even have 4 little tomatoes. They are still green but they are there. Only four raspberry bushes came back this spring and we had 2 new starts this year. No fruit yet but I am still hopeful. The neighbors are surprised I had any come back at all. As for the rest of the we just planted them last night and are hoping it isn't to late in the season. But I am very excited to go tend to my little garden and watch it grow.

  

Carrots, Bell Pepper, Red Onions

My strawberries



My Tomatoes



One of my Raspberry plants