A Sample of the Harvest 2010

This is a picture of a sample of the harvest of 2010.  We have had good success with the grape tomatoes and jalapeno peppers.  The grape tomatoes are GREAT with lunch sandwiches and on salads.  This is the first year we did the grape tomatoes. We have done cherry tomatoes in past years and they have been quite fruitful.  My wife and I agree we like the grapes better since they seem to be sweeter and have a better texture.  We only did one grape plant and it had produced very well!  We start our tomatoes usually in late February from seed.  I will have a post on how we do this soon.

The jalapenos are excellent!  These were purchased plants.  They seem to do very well in the back part of our garden where "some" shade is on them in the day.  These peppers usually bear into September for us.  My wife uses them on homemade salsa.  We also cook with them. They are a nice tangy addition in stir fry.  This year we are looking to pickle some for later use in the year.

It is awesome to have some "garden" throughout the year to use.

Going Back to the Beginning

Several years ago my wife and I decided we had the space in our backyard to do a raised bed garden.   Prior to that, we had planted several gardens in the linear fashion directly on the ground.  After reading about raised bed gardening it seemed to be a good thing for us to do.  Our soil in Missouri is rather hard and a lot of clay.  Tilling was a beast at times.  It seemed no matter how many times I tilled a spot, it was never deep enough or fine enough to get a good yield.  In addition, we added some fertilizer to garden area but really never did it "right" to get the maximum benefit.  As you can see from this picture, we now have 4 "squares" that measure 4'X4' in the middle.  We also have 4, "L" shaped beds on the outside of each square.  They measure 1' across in both directions.  To build all of the beds I used deck boards.

The depth of the beds is 8".  This gives a good depth for most home vegetable gardening.  Over the years we have filled the beds with regular dirt, top soil, some potting soil, mixtures of the same and added fertilizer.  Over the past 2 years we have used mostly potting soil mixture (commercial) and added our own compost.

Victory Veggies!!

My wife and I have gardened in our backyard for several years. We grow mostly vegetables for home use. The concept of a Victory Garden hails back to the Second World War. People were encouraged to grow their own food to assist in the war effort. With the economy in the pits and the constant concern about food safety, now is a great time to think about "growing your own"....(vegetables).

Besides the reward of having good food to eat, there is a real satisfaction in seeing your direct efforts come to fruition in your own kitchen!