Monday, June 7, 2010

Our Vegetable Garden



Starting a garden takes time. Ours has been five years in the making...though it has been the last few months in which we actually put thoughts to practice. This is why I'm beginning this post with a picture of Hubby tending the grapes a few months ago, as it's taken several weekends since then to create our first vegetable garden on the property.

While he was pruning those grapes, I came up with the idea to tear down the old arbor. I know, who tears down an arbor? But this one was old, and not the good kind of old. It wasn't made well, was infested with carpenter ants, and I knew one day we'd replace it with a new white one.


So down it came.


Several weeks later, we decided that we liked the idea of adhering to the symmetry of the rows of concord grape vines so a garden plot was carved out accordingly. As you can see, Mr. Engineer used numbers and survey string to ensure this was exactly so. Cute.


Then came the delivery of organic compost and rental of the tiller to till the soil...Lucy watched Hubby's back the entire time. as you know, those frisky squirrels can sometimes sneak up on you.


Fast forward a few weekends. Hubby put in a stone pathway...with leftover pavers from our other hardscape projects. Finally, we went to our local nursery and picked out wonderful organic starters.

See the dark blob out to the left of the picture frame?


It's Lucy...soaking up the warm spring sun.



We've designated this area of our property as the food zone. The grapes are here, which are starting to leaf out...and although they were cut down before we bought the place, the old peach orchard used to stand in the field above.

Perhaps we'll replant some kind of fruit trees someday...or maybe blueberries...or keep it open just because a nice open field is always peaceful to look at.



By the end of the day, we planted corn, eight varieties of tomatoes, basil, pickling cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, jalapeno pepper, green beans and a pumpkin plant for our holiday pies. Yet to plant are snap peas, carrots, blackberries and lettuce.

Eventually, we'll build another arbor. We may also build a fence around the garden if we find that the local wildlife are nibbling.

I dream of the day when I wander out to the garden and pluck a fresh warm tomato from its vine.

43 comments :

  1. Oh, good for you! We have our garden planted as well and I can't wait to start getting the fruits of our labor.

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  2. hi trina,

    loving this. now tell me do you have irrigation to this garden? also, how do you keep all the lawn so green? is it irrigated also or do you have to water it by hand? i ask because we don't have any sprinklers and i want them!

    love lucy the dark blob to the left and mike looks so handsome tending his farm. i'm so happy for you. warm tomato sandwiches, yum.

    ~janet

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  3. What a wonderful garden. I know what you mean about looking forward to your first crop - I found growing vegies for the first time last year so thrilling! I found it handy to write down when I planted things so this year I can look back and see when was a good time to plant for this year. :)

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  4. Hi Trina,I love what you have done. Can't believe you got rid of the arbour,but I suppose if it has to go, it has to go. I too have a veggie patch and just love it when they are ready for the cutting and yes there is nothing like a home grown tomato.. just wait and see! take care, Maryann

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  5. You guys do good work. I love the dog's involvement.

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  6. Trina, it's wonderful!!! So happy that you've gotten to this point, I know how much work has gone into this beautiful garden and you will , most definitely, be plucking that warm tomato in the very near future (as well as other delicious bounty)!
    BTW- I see numbers and survey string in our gardens future also, but we may need to borrow Lucy to supervise! ;)

    Missed you...xxoo Jessica

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  7. Hope you are all loving your country time. I can't imagine what I'd be doing if I didn't garden.

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  8. It's beautiful! You don't have problems with deer where you are? It's so much fun watching our plants get bigger and bigger. Even better cooking with the fruits (or veggies) of our labor - fun!

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  9. trina... it looks amazing... and just think... you will have such a wonderful bounty very soon... xoxo

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  10. It's lovely! I love that one garden leads to another with the pathway. We don't have a veggie garden this year. We replanted the herb garden which has always been a favorite of mine and added just a few veggies in their for summer.

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  11. There is just something about gardening that is so peaceful and relaxing. It's even more exciting when the first "harvest" comes in and you serve it for dinner. This is assuming that the animals and insects didn't help themselves first!

    Jo

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  12. Lucy was a BIG help!!!
    This is going to be amazing.
    Watch the blackberries or they might
    take over the garden!
    May you have a bountiful harvest of
    lovely organic goodies.
    xx Suzanne

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  13. Looks like it is going to work out perfectly! Great idea with the stone pavers in between... That will help you tend to your veggies a little easier.

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  14. we were just home to visit my parents....you would love my dad's garden....it's HUGE....always has been. He feeds half of our town from his garden.

    There is nothing better than a fresh, bright red, juicy tomatoe straight off the vine.

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  15. my husband the engineer is just like that planting his garden! its definitely cute!

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  16. looks great trina!! and hubby's set out looks perfect. looks like gorgeous weather you're having! julesxxx

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  17. Looks great, Trina. And, it's always a good thing to have your dog watching out for squirrels.

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  18. It looks wonderful Trina! Hubby did a great job, but I don't think he could have done it without little Lucy's help!
    I can't wait to plant herbs, tomatoes, jalapenos, etc... but that will have to wait until "next year"!
    I think your decision to take down the arbor was the right one- a "Trina" arbor will be much more fabulous!!
    hugs,
    joan

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  19. It looks amazing. What a joy it will be to be able to walk out to the garden for the evening's veggies. Thankfully our Farmer's Market here in the city give us the next best thing - but I long for a garden on my own!

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  20. Your garden looks wonderful! You'll really appreciate the pathway-every year one I plan to put one in but I always end up stepping all over the squash that creeps over everything! There's no better feeling that filling up your basket with fresh vegetables from your own back yard - I can't wait to see how it progresses....

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  21. Beautiful garden! The soil looks much better than ours. We are waiting on our tomatoes, too! Home grown veggies are always best! Carla

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  22. I am so relieved to see that your beautiful garden has been 5 years in the making! Peter and I have been in our house for 4 weeks and I find myself frustrated that everything is not done! Then I cut myself some slack.
    I am looking for a place to start some concord grapes, they look really lovely on your property.

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  23. Hi Janet,
    Hubby put sprinklers in the garden after the photo was taken. The grass is still green because we've had so much rain. Typically, by mid-summer, the grass gets dry and brown. But we're going to put in a water pump and filter on our irrigation line so that we can irrigate the fields and keep things more green this summer. Our water comes from the glaciers of Mt. Hood, so it's very silty...which is why a filter is required.
    We've already installed sprinklers around our house and in the flower gardens...it's just the rest of the property that needs more irrigation work.
    So that's on our to do list this spring!
    xoTrina

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  24. Veggie gardening is so much fun, so glad you decided to add this new space. It looks really good, and I just love the brick path down the middle.

    Can't wait to see it in a couple of months after it's exploded with yummy produce. Nothing better then dashing out to the garden, grabing all you can carry and dashing back to the kitchen to whip up a treat that you've grown from a tiny seed.

    Happy gardening.

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  25. Wonderful garden! I'm itching for my own now!

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  26. Love the landscaping before and afters... we have that all ahead of us (currently our yard is a sea of dirt) and it's always nice to see someone else's ideas come to life. So, thanks Trina.

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  27. It's so much work, isn't it? But the rewards will be so great! I look forward to watching your garden grow.

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  28. That day will come sooner than you think! We garden at two different times of the year. But we consider it feeding the squirrels!

    Yours looks lovely!

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  29. Love the garden and grapes. I too planted my first garden this year and am anxious for it to start producing.

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  30. so beautiful. you are making me feel a bit lazy.

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  31. I love the path down the middle. Your dog is so sweet, nothing like a nap in the sun. Happy gardening!

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  32. now that's a veggie garden! tyler and i recently planted ours too. it's certainly not as large as yours but we have two tomato plants, three pepper varieties, basil, rosemary, and thai basil. let the growing and cooking begin!

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  33. I love your garden! I cannot wait to see the salads that you make from it:).

    We have blackberries at our place. We make blackberry protein shakes and I dream of one day making a cheesecake with blackberry sauce from them. There's nothing quite like harvesting from your own land. Enjoy your garden!! It looks lovely:).

    xoxo,
    Blair

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  34. Loved reading about your garden... and I'm a tad jealous!

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  35. It's going to be gorgeous! I love the idea of the path through the vegetable garden and to the vineyard beyond!

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  36. I dream of the day when we will see the first tomato from your garden and the vines hanging with grapes. Beautiful place especially with the Lucy garden ornament!

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  37. Beautiful! I bet you will be out picking fresh warm tomatoes from the vine SOON! Yay!

    LOVE that Lucy made sure to supervise and protect, and that she got in some sunbathing as well! :) :)

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  38. I just stumbled across your blog and I love it! Your garden looks great!

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  39. Oh, a vegie garden is a must! Glad to hear that you will build another arbor!

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  40. It's wonderful how you share your projects Trina. You give me hope that we can turn the dirt and rubble left after the build into something beautiful..Rachaelxx

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  41. Trina,
    It is so amazing how far you all have come outside(I just read the previous post too)all the hard work and beautiful results must be so thrilling! I've enjoyed the posts so much!!!
    ~Rebecca

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  42. Hi Trina, what a wonderful "food zone". I so wish we could buy property so we could have a gigantic garden too, but land is over the top expensive where we live. So, we plant about 28 tomato plants and a few peppers and this year we have 5 potato plants going. I can't even eat a tomato from the grocery store anymore...it's just not the same. So we wait and wait all summer for those lovely tomatoes and I too dream about them, but it also makes me a bit sad, b/c then I know our summer is coming to a close : ( Happy gardening!! ~Stacey

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  43. Dear Trina,

    I just recently found your blog and am so grateful that I did. Your posts evoke calm, peaceful, intentional living and inspire creativity in those who read them. (I couldn't help but notice that there isn't a 52" tv dominating your living room, not that you might not have one, but that it isn't the focus of the space, or your time.) Blessings to you and your husband as you await the arrival of your twins. Please keep posting.

    Appreciatively,
    Debbie in Bothell, Wa.

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Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Kind regards, Catherine

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