I am amazed by plant life. I can't help it, it's genetic. Both sides of my family dating back generations have been gardeners (some professional, some amateur). My love of plants started when I was a baby, before I knew what it was about. My mom used to roll me around the gardens at Sunset Magazine headquarters - heavenly gardens - in my stroller. There were also trips upon trips to the local nursery. Thus, through nature and nurture, I am a gardener.
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Two years ago, my parents helped me put in my amazing garden boxes. I stole the idea from an old clipping from Sunset. Dad designed the boxes and the three of us spent a day building them.
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| The prep work |
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Boxes built, lined with gopher wire then covered with
pea gravel for pest control and drainage. |
Then the fun begins. I started with a winter garden and have now had my second of summer gardens with the boxes. It's amazing how well things grow in them. If you are contemplating adding garden boxes to you yard - DO IT. Use quality loam and additives for best soil. There is literally nothing I can't grow here.
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| Finished boxes |
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| This spring's seed planting |
I plant my edibles from seed. It is the most amazing thing to watch a particle that you placed in dirt come to life with sun and water. Amazing, simply amazing!
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| 12 varieties of tomatoes |
I realize that I go a little overboard with the varieties and amount of plants but after watching the seeds grow into little plantlings, I can't throw any out. I do give many away to good homes.
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| Watch me - I'm germinating! |
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| The yard in late spring |
My yard is my sanctuary. My place of peace and recovery of growth and connection to my world. It is the place I come to sit with myself and with my Maggie, to drink in the smells and the air of the garden.
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| The garden boxes |
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| Teddy Bear sunflowers |
Yes - flowers too. I have 4 varieties of sunflowers and the happiest bunch of crayola colored zinneas! The edibles include zuchinni, corn, artichoke, pasilla peppers, cantelope, strawberries and cucumbers in addition to more herbs than I can keep up with.
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| Yellow Pear Heirloom tomatoes |
This year I ended up with 22 tomato plants - some more productive than others (the ones in the boxes do best). I am into the harvest season and am blog hopping through the foodies to see what I can do next with my amazing tomatoes.
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fresh harvest
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Roost is one of my new favorite blogs. Please take a moment and jump over to it. The photography will leave you drooling over the recipes and then running to your kitchen to attempt to replicate... good luck.
