Out My Back Door

Growing up around my grandparents, I knew about growing your own food. However, I've never really grown much until last year. A contractor made a box above ground, into which he put rich compost and soil. I can access it easily even when my back is hurting badly. We grew delicious and copious vegetables, green beans, tomatoes, herbs, onions, carrots, beets.

This year, Sylvia, my mother-in-law, helped plant some herbs, cucumber, zucchini, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, green beans, onions. It was great to be digging in the soil again, wondering what the yield will be and looking forward to the delicious result. 

         Chives, mint and cherry tomatoes

Up until last year, Sylvia always grew her own tomatoes from seed she dried from tomatoes she liked. She had a green house that Melvin built for her and starting in the late winter, she'd plant the seeds and grow them under lights in the basement. She tended them with care from seed until they went into the green house and nurtured them as they grew.

              Onions and yellow tomatoes

Then Melvin got sick so the seeds weren't started last year. Melvin died and Sylvia sold her house. The garden was gone. This year Sylvia has helped Claire and I in our gardens and she has some patio tomatoes growing. However, it's hard for her not to have a piece of land that's her own to prepare and plants to nurse along. Her patio plants are a shadow of her previous garden.

   Two types of basil, with which I never have success

Meanwhile it rained today but it wasn't warm. Maybe we won't get a bumper crop this year. Only time will tell. But by growing our own food, even enough for a few months, we're eating organically grown vegetables. We still have some of the tomatoes we preserved last year. It will be great to watch these plants grow and better still to eat the result.

This is a wonderful time of year! I'll keep you posted!