Spring in Abundance

**This is my first large garden at my first real homestead. I have been super busy getting my compost ready, making raised beds, and lovingly raising tons of plants from seed. So far, things in my garden are going great! I have decided that Spring is the happiest time of the year. Everyday, I practically run to my garden to see how my plants are doing, and I just get so happy to see them all looking healthy and vibrant. I have much to be thankful for!

**Someone once asked me to take pictures of my garden and to let her know how my garden is doing. I decided that I may as well make it a post so that anyone can see a glimpse of my garden these days! Someday, maybe I will take a video tour of my garden! Until then, here are a few glimpses of my happy, healthy paradise:

My strawberries are coming in! They are super tasty, and I’m excited because this is only their first year. More strawberries will be mine next year. Woohoo! Learn more about how to grow strawberries here.

My cucumbers and pickles are all getting their first set of true leaves! I always feel like my plants are out of danger when that happens. I planted one seed in each hole of a cinder block. This way, each plant has plenty of space to grow.

I’ve got lots and lots of kale! Woohoo! Okay, there are a few weeds in this picture too. I’m cutting off leaves and leaving the plant, since sometimes they can continue to get you harvests for a while. So far, we’ve had two large batches of sauteed kale for dinner. Yum!

Okay, I went pea-crazy this year. I couldn’t bear thinning the plants, since they were all so healthy. Sooo…it’s a jungle out there. My pea plants have grown super tall, about 5.5 feet tall, and just as I was getting worried they weren’t going to actually produce flowers, they did! We should be eating our first batch of peas either tomorrow or the day after. Click here to learn how to grow peas.
My Purple Pole Beans grew rapidly overnight! One day, they were just peeking out of the soil, the next day, they were 6 inches tall! So far, it looks like all of them have survived. Just like the cucumbers/pickles, I planted one seed in each cinder block hole.

My tomatoes all survived from seeds. That means I had to get creative on my space this year. I just couldn’t bear the idea of killing some of them! So they are a bit more crowded than I like, but it should work. I’ve got 8 cherry tomato plants and 8 roma tomato plants all going strong!
I’ve got watermelons! This is probably my most exciting plant. I’ve never tried growing watermelon before, and for some reason, I’m super nervous! Only one watermelon seed has not grown, so I’ll have to make do with….7 plants. Yes, I know, 2 people don’t need that many watermelon! We shall see how this plays out…if you want to learn more about growing watermelon, check out my post!
Okay, okay, by now you might be thinking that I’ve gone crazy. This is a picture of SIX zucchini plants! I already know that I might regret this many. As my post on how to grow zucchini states, a family of 4 needs only 2-3 plants…and we are a family of two. I’m hoping that I have some friends who want some zucchini and I’m already looking up a bajillion recipes for zucchini. But feel free to leave me a link or some ideas in the comment section. I know I could use all the help I can get! These zucchini are looking great so far!

Finally, I leave you with this delightful picture of my healthy looking nasturtium. These pretty flowers will have edible leaves, attract bees, and help keep pests at bay. I made a whole line of them along the front part of my garden (again, ignore the weeds in the path!). They are already looking pretty and they are still such little things.

I hope you enjoyed my Spring Garden Picture Tour. This is just a small bit of my garden, however, I didn’t want to overwhelm you. I’ve also got a whole raised bed of various peppers, as well as radishes, green beans, carrots, borage, calendula, basil, and many herbs and fruits. Perhaps another picture tour will be posted in a few weeks.