I Really Do Live In The Garden

 Weather permitting...I am a gardenholic. From March to November I spend most of my daylight hours outside...digging in the dirt! Rainy days, I get some housework done and evenings, after dinner until bed, I stitch. It's a rainy day today so, here I am, avoiding housework!

My garden has expanded each year. I tried to grow some tomatoes and squash in the backyard several years ago with some success. We had a deer problem.

Expanded that and fenced it in...

Amended the soil...but still not getting the results I wanted. 

Then I found these fabulous raised beds. Starting with this large one in the corner of the front yard...yes I put it together myself...

I built it around our arbor with the bushes blocking it nicely from our road. Sun ALL day and everything planted in rich compost...

Okay...that worked well...just not enough room! So...

let's put another raised bed in and grow MORE...

still not enough space. So this year...

we rented a tiller and the hubs got started on the expansion. Well, as long as we had the tiller, why not expand even more. You know I'm going to want to next year...so go for it!

Guess what I'm going to be doing as soon as the rain stops....looks like Thursday. I've already planted some cool weather crops: broccoli, spinach, radishes (almost ready), carrots, peas, squash and beans. My tomato seedlings I started in the house are ready to plant as well as more direct sow seeds. I'm going to try corn and edible sunflower (seeds) this year in the expansion!

Fortunately or unfortunately (I do love them) our deer have moved on down the road. Someone has bought the 7 acres of woods behind us and are going to build two houses back there. Our herd of at least 15 deer have not been seen since they started clearing the land. So, I feel confident that they won't be a problem with the garden...now, the crows on the other hand...?

So how much longer before I plow up the entire front yard? What do you think? 

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