Gardening

I am really excited about gardening this year.  I am getting a bit of a jump start on things so I am totally prepared.  When we first moved to our home five years ago and I started my first garden, it turned out to be the best garden yet.  We called it our jungle.  We had tons of food and it was a great success:

Ever since then, our garden has gone downhill.  I'm not sure why.  Last year was the worst.  We ended up with only 2 tomato plants and a couple of jalapeno plants (this is because I bought them already started and growing from Walmart) and one little cucumber plant.  It seemed throughout the whole spring and summer I was planting, and replanting, and replanting, and nothing ever wanted to grow.  We had a very wet spring at first and I think the water drowned our first batch of seeds, but even after that and replanting again and again nothing would grow.  Our stawberries came back for the second year and actually provided quite a few for us, but our rasberries (second year in a row) grew no berries at all.  It was really depressing. 

So this year, Kory dug out all of the clay rocky dirt from our main big garden and some from the strawberry garden and put in a draining system and then filled them back up with good top soil and manure.  I also got the idea from our Stake provident living specialist to start growing plants inside.  I was not sure how to go about doing that but she posted pictures on her blog and made it look really easy.  So for spring break we went to Walmart and for $3.00 purchased a seed starting kit.  The kids had a blast filling the little holes with dirt, labeling them, putting the seeds in, watering them, and finding a new home for them to incubate in with lots of hot sun.  I am hoping with new dirt, lots of little plants, and lots of prayers that we will have a glorious garden this year and that our strawberries will come back alive and our raspberry plants (3rd year) will finally produce some berries.  Wish us luck!

 McKay was my main helper in this project all the way through to the end.  He was quite a bit into it as you can tell by his face in this picture.  In fact, I told the kids that if we broke open the seed starter and planted all the seeds that day that they would have to fold laundry for me afterwards so I could start working.  They agreed on the deal and even folded the clothes and had a blast doing that and did a great job and helped me out a ton.

 My box of seeds.  I got lots of new seeds this year.  Another theory about the dwindling garden was I thought the seeds were too old.  My mom sent me brand new seeds and I bought a few as well.

The finished product with labels and all.  I may have started some of these plants too early (like pumpkins), but I can always throw them out and start again in a month or so.  I also started watermelons and cantalopes.  They take forever to grow and I am hoping that if I start them now that by the time August comes we will have lots to eat.