New Life

No, I'm not pregnant, but we do have new life in our garden!  Some people requested that I post updated pictures, so here they are. 

These are the three square foot beds, front to back: corn, beans, and tomatoes/flowers.

This is our corn.  We planted it at the end of April, beginning of May.  Looking good!

We have 2 rows of lima beans and 2 rows of green beans.  They should be ready to harvest in about 3 weeks!

There are 8 tomatoes plants in the middle and then flowers in the corners.  The flowers haven't done as well as we wished.  Any thoughts on how to make them look better?  We planted a lot of tomatoes and I'm the only one who eats them, but I will be sure to eat them all - I love tomatoes!

Josh loves gardening and Thomas is right there beside him telling me, "I helping daddy in the garden."  It is amazing how much we have enjoyed having a garden.  I'll admit Josh has done the majority of the work at this point.  I do water it on occasion, but he really loves to work in it.  I foresee that I will have a larger role when it is time to harvest and put up the produce. 

We are also in the process of starting a compost pile.  Here is the beginning of the work and a cute picture of Thomas. 

Square Foot Gardening

This year Josh and I decided to try out square foot gardening.  Neither one of us have ever gardened, but both of our grandparents did and we wanted to try it.  I'm not sure what Josh's reasons for doing it are (other than to get dirty), but I have a couple:

1. Eat Fresh Produce - There is nothing like fresh corn and tomatoes from the garden.  Nothing in the store can compare. 
2. Saves Money - Seeds really are cheap and square foot gardening is so economical that it will save us money.  If you've read my blog for any length of time, then you know how much I enjoy saving money!
3. Better for us - We don't have to worry about the food containing harmful chemicals or pesticides.  I read an article in All You (a magazine) a couple of months ago and was surprised of how many foods are shipped from overseas or from across the country.  It just makes sense to grow your own food if possible. 

We decided to do square foot gardening because it is easy.  No gardening tools required and no expertise needed.  A guy in our church introduced us to the idea and we bought the book All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.  The author lays out step-by-step instructions and give you the benefits of square foot gardening versus single row gardening. 

Thankfully, the guy in our church who introduced us to the idea has also helped us get started.  He built us three 4x4 gardens and then helped us fill them with the right soil.  We could have done it without his help, but we are always so thankful for anyone's assistance! 

We have planted lima beans and green beans thus far.  In a few weeks we will plant, tomatoes, corn, and okra and maybe a few flowers.  Josh is so excited about the garden and loves to go and look at it!  He and Thomas water it each night and are anxiously waiting for the first sign of life.