Giddy about Gardening #SOL

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C'mon.. you can do it!

One day in June the family piled into the car and went to Home Depot.  We usually don't shop the home improvement stores as a unit, so we must have decided to randomly stop after a meal out.

As we wandered the store, we came upon the seed rack in the garden section.  We started looking at seeds.  "It's too late," my husband warned, "but you should see what will grow in the back yard."

Ah, the backyard.  Our neighbors installed a stone retaining wall two summers ago.  We have not decided what to plant at the foot of the wall on our side, so we've just been mulching the area.  

Hmmm - could this be a place for a garden?  

We decided on the spot that we would plant seeds in our new garden.  My husband picked cilantro and peppers (he loves pico de gallo), I picked carrots, and the girls chose watermelon, cantaloupe and spinach.

That day the seeds went into the ground.  Weeks later the sprouts came up.  Then flowers... and ... you get the picture.  We were actually growing a GARDEN!  We added a tomato plant and jalapeno pepper plant.  (Jeff really wanted to make pico!)

We've been pretty good about taking care of these little plants.  I've been completely mesmerized as I've watched tiny seeds grow into seedlings, sprouts, plants, flowers and now FRUITS and VEGETABLES (thank you, first grade science curriculum, for the inspiration and vocabulary).

Will we ever get to eat a juicy watermelon this year?  Doubtful.  I don't even think the cantaloupe will get past the flowering stage.  We have enjoyed tiny carrots, lots of cilantro, and some spinach.  We may try fried green tomatoes, and I'll have to find out how the peppers grew... I don't eat jalapenos!  I can't wait to plan what we are planting NEXT year!

Tomato plant

Spinach

Jalapeno

Watermelon!