Little Garden Update

A few weeks ago I took a few hours with the kids and we got our whole garden in.

 This year was by far the easiest year yet!  Last year my husband built boxes and we dumped composted manure inside.  This year all I had to use was my handy tool (That Drew got my for mother's day last year) for a few minutes and the garden was ready to go in. I am growing everything from seed this year again, except for 2 tomato plants, and 1 basil plant I purchased from the farmers market.  I order all my seeds from rareseeds.com  They are all heirloom, non-gmo, and super cheap!  I am growing cucumbers, bush green beans, tomatoes, basil, cilantro, parsley, lettuce, spinach, strawberries, blue berries, red & black raspberries.

This tool is amazing!  Every gardener should own one!!

My green bean rows, Drew and Emma planted them, they are sprouting up all over the place, very funny!

Lettuce & Spinach, cucumbers (in the tomato cages- great idea Joslyn told me about, they grow up the cages and over)  Tomatoes grow up to poles, I fasten the stems as they grow.  I tried the black week blocker this year so I wouldn't need to weed, I have never done it before, so I will let you know what I think.  So far, no weeding so I am LOVING that!

My berry patch, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries.  They come back every year and require almost no work!  Just a little weekending and pruning :)

The blueberries have arrived!  Last year I only got 5, this year looks like about 20-25 (it takes 9 years before it fully produces!!)

Red Raspberries are forming.

Wild black raspberries grown on the back of our property, this year the crop is huge!!

In years past my strawberries have not done well, I have gotten about 10, just enough for the kids to pick on every once in a while.  This year that are TONS of strawberries!  Praise the Lord!  I am so excited. 

And wouldn't you know it, my little fruit scout Drew spotted this one, already ripe!  I took this photo May 31st.  Red strawberries in May!!! Can you believe it?  So excited!  We are getting a few a day now :)  That is, if I keep Emma away, she has gotten a taste of picking fruit, so the green ones are getting pulled off too, it is fun for her.  Love that little sweet heart!