The Garden is Growing

The sun is doing wonderful things around here.  My little garden is growing, things are pushing their way up out of the ground, and we are getting outside more to enjoy it all.  This is also the first year our lilacs got big enough to bloom, and before I knew it, Mila and Olivia had 'picked' a bunch of them to play with yesterday.  Girls and flowers.  Olivia actually complained to me earlier that we have no flowers growing in the yard and that it's ugly.  I better remedy the situation soon.

Mila and Olivia begged and begged to have a picnic outside, and I tried to say no, but they won.  So we had a very impromptu picnic in the backyard with leftover pizza, this delicious spinach strawberry salad, yogurt, cucumber slices and mango chunks.  Sometimes children are good reminders to slow down and really take it all in, aren't they?

 Can't wait for my two lilac bushes to explode with blooms next year.

I started gardening in my backyard last year, and once I got a taste of it, I was kind of hooked.  Last year I bought all my plants, knowing I didn't want to overdo it by biting off more than I could chew.  But this year I was ready to tackle starting everything but the tomatoes from seed. 

My first raised bed came up fine, but the second one sat and sat for weeks with nothing coming up at all.  I thought that was it, until a couple days ago I saw green!  Which means at least some of it is going to make it!  I don't remember what vegetable is in the first picture, but I know a tomato plant when I see one (aah, obviously I should have labeled things). 

I had mint in one of my beds last year, and when I turned the soil this year, some mint roots didn't get removed, and started growing ALL OVER THE BED!  It's like a tiny nightmare in that box. I have to go out and pluck a million little mint shoots every once in a while so they don't overtake the new plants.  And they are hardy.  If you're thinking of starting your own garden, beware of mint.  I hear putting it in its own pot keeps it from spreading like wildfire to everything else.  Here's some mint growing next to a tomato plant, and my radishes growing nicely.

It's not much to look at now, but I will definitely keep you posted.  This is my little labor of love, and I am pretty proud!

xoxo,
Tanya