Being ambitious

I am trying something new this year -- I am starting a veggie garden in the back yard. This is something I've wanted to do for quite a while now, but it always seemed to be the wrong time. Usually I couldn't start it because I was pregnant. Then Dan wanted to wait until the compost was ready. A year or so ago Dan started a compost pile in the back yard, and eventually it grew into two piles. He has been working hard to enrich them, and finally this spring, I think we're ready to go.

I dug some seed packets out of the garage, and went to the store to buy more. I also bought some Miracle-Gro organic potting soil and liquid plant food, and those little cardboard seed-starter cups (I am REALLY bad at transplanting plants, so hopefully these cups will make it easier.) I got myself some new gardening gloves (which made Stephen jealous, so I bought him a small pair too.)

I don't want to have a very big garden, just for the fact that I don't think my family would eat all of the food a big garden would produce. And there's no point in planting stuff we won't eat or I don't know how to cook with.

These are the things I am going to try growing this summer:

• carrots
• green onions
• zucchini
• cucumbers
• tomatoes
• green peppers
• jalapenos
• cilantro
• peas
• green beans
  

I also have a winter list of garden items I would like to plant in November:

• lettuce
• broccoli
• basil
• spinach
• butternut squash
• potatoes (in a garbage can!)
• maybe jalapenos and cilantro again (I hear they do well both seasons)

Here are my four garden phases:
Phase 1 -- getting started with the starters
Phase 2 -- rototilling and composting the garden
Phase 3 -- planting the seedlings
Phase 4 -- housekeeping and harvesting

And here we go.....