basil

I have been in gardening heaven lately.  My Mother-in-Law came and weeded all my landscape beds which left me time to do the fun stuff–like get my square foot garden going!  Our little yard is slowly becoming a fun haven for our family, and this year we have spent more time than ever out there.  I’ve even been napping in our new hammock.

I’d like to encourage you to do what you can with what you have.  You don’t need a huge yard or perfect grass to create an outdoor space to spend time in.  Just mow and clean it up.  Add touches of comfort slowly, and let go of perfection.

My yard is so small that I didn’t think I’d have room for a garden, but thanks to square foot gardening, I am able to grow lots of herbs and vegetables for my family.  We have 2 4×2 beds–yep, super small–but you won’t believe what I can fit in there!

Our SFG’s are in a landscape bed along the east side of our house.  It has been a great spot, and uses space that would otherwise go un-used.

Square foot gardening is amazing and so very easy.  Weeding is almost nonexistent in a SFG, I’ve had mine for 5 years now and I’ve pulled maybe a handful of weeds in that amount of time…no joke!  Watering is also very minimal.  The key is the soil mixture, I followed the Square Foot Gardening book to a T and it has been amazing.

Here is what happened in the garden in the month of May, 2014:

Planted Mid-May

Kale – 8

Swiss Chard -8

Basil -1

Dill-1

Planted-Late May

Tomatoes -3

Cucumber -1

Summer Squash -1

Mini Pumpkin -6, going to thin once they sprout

 

I also have an herb pot on my front porch:

Planted Mid-May

Basil

Dill

Parsley

A Patunia for pretty

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 I used mint as the focal point of 2 of my flower pots, I kept the mint in its pot but took off the bottom, hoping the sides of the pot will help contain it as mint can be a bully & space hog!

Planted Mid-May

Mint

I used what I have for plants that are going to vine (squash, pumpkin, cucumber & tomatoes–not yet planted in above pic.  I have a pallet for them to grow up on, a nearby fence, tomato cages, and a part of our old swing set turned on it’s side.  I will tie up the plants as needed, using strips cut from an old pair of tights I have or just use some jute.

I am eager to share with you how much the garden has already grown…the leaves of the plants in pics above are about 3 times the size already!  I will do a June garden update soon!

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What are you growing?  Is there anything keeping you from quality time in the yard?