Gardening With Mama

Check out the Posey's Spring Garden!

I have been dreaming of making one for years now.  First, I was dreaming of a garden to tend to while I was pregnant.  I thought it will be so meditative to be out there growing things, while I grow my little one in my belly.  Well, you know how it goes; life got too busy and before we knew it Spring had come and gone.  

The next year, I thought, oh perfect!  Arabella will be just old enough to sit on a blanket and enjoy the out doors while I garden.  Well, she helped me with the some flowers, but we never made the garden.  

BUT THIS IS THE YEAR! : )   We are so excited.  Arabella is the perfect age (18 months) to help me and is very interested in what we are doing.  She loves the watering hose.  Thank goodness it's now warm enough and she can drench herself.  I tried to let her help me plant some seeds, but she wanted to put them any and every where except the hole I dug, so I am sure there will be sunflowers popping up in the lettuces.

She even found the first ripe strawberry!  She was so happy and kept saying sssberries! sssberries!  She did share it with me and gave me strawberry kisses (mmmmmmm does a mama's heart good).

 

My wonderful, king-of-honey-do-list husband, built my box garden for me.  Well, he put it together.  He was going to build it from scratch, but found it was cheaper to put together a kit.  We wanted to make it out of cedar because that is not treated with chemicals and it won't rot.  He found this kit at Home Depot for $70.  The kit we bought was 4x8, but you can buy them smaller in a 4x4 size.  I want to do another one and make half of it for more veggies and and the other half a sandbox. 

Here are directions I found online that are similar to what we did. 

I used 10 bags of organic gardening soil from Home Depot that was $6.50 for 2 bags.  I also mixed in 2 bags of compost/cow manuer for $1.34 each.  This was split into the two boxes.  So far the plants act like they love it!

I got my broccoli (2), celery(2), and tomato (3) plants from Turkey Hill Farm.  Well, Stephanie got them for me.  I had to work when Turkey Hill was going to sell the plants at the Lafayette Market on Thursdays at 3 till dusk.  Thanks Steph!  I think this farm has some of the best plants you could buy if you are wanting organic and are local. If you are not local, be sure to check your local farmers market and ask around to see if anyone sells seedlings.  Usually the plants sold at Home Depot and other big box stores are GMO.

I bought basil, echinacea, sunflower, onion, poppy flowers and eggplant seeds from Seeds of Change.  They say they are organic and gmo-free.   I just put them in shallow holes according to the directions on the back of the package.  The sunflowers and the basil are just sprouting.  Soooo exciting!

I did get a couple of plants from the local nursery (Tallahasse Nursery).  Strawberries, Chocolate Mint, Apple Mint (I'm thinking mint tea or mojitos-never actually had a mojhito but sounds good!)  Arabella and I always have fresh breath out there because we eat the chocolate mint right off the plant.  I also planted some sort of oriental spinach ( and have already made 3 salads with it).  These plants weren't organic, but they were pestiside free.  I figured if they grew in my good organic soil it would be okay. 

Did you know that the nutrients in organically grown vegetables will have up to 30% more nutrients?  Not to mention the added bonus that they are fresh and don't have to travel across the country. So, broccoli will typically have 30% of daily vitamin C value.  But a one that is organic and out of your yard can have 60%.  That is huge!  

-Tara :)