This is How My Garden Grows

 We've been planning our backyard garden for many months. I guess we really started thinking about having our own garden last summer. Here's what our garden looks like today. We built the tomato trellises right before supper. They are made out of electrical conduit and secured in the ground with rebar. I am proud to say I sawed metal today.

 Here are my peas. They are doing really well. I set up little rope trellises for them to grow upon. They seem a little squished in their square but I planted them just like the book recommended. I guess so much of this year's garden is a grand experiment.

 Can you guess what this plant is? I would never have known if I didn't plant it myself. It's potatoes! They are HUGE! I'm afraid the leaves shade some of my other plants in adjacent squares. I also worry they don't have enough depth to the soil to produce a large potato. Again....it's all a grand experiment. 

 Carrot tops here. Again, I wasn't sure about planting them but found a variety that doesn't grow very long. I find most carrots in the grocery store to be bland. That is especially true of those pre-peeled baby carrots. I can't believe I ever bought them. I find them kind of gross now.

 Here's a close-up of our newly planted tomato plants and the trellis. We definitely started the seeds about a month too soon but I hope they'll  do well now that they are outside. They already look happier.

 Here's the first box I planted. It has the lettuce, onions and spinach. You can also see the carrots in the bottom left square. We've been harvesting from this box all week. I should have planted more lettuce and spinach sooner but do have some growing in another box.

We had one of my favorite meals for dinner. Hamburgers (no bun) over salad with sharp cheese slices. The onion, spinach and lettuce came from the garden. The beef came from a Lancaster County steer and the carrots were also local. I think only the red pepper came from far away. I attempted to make mayonnaise which didn't quite turn out but makes a lovely dressing anyhow. A delicious meal. Nolan was the hamburger chef extraordinaire. He uses some special hobo spices to make the burgers finger lickin' good!

And the final glory to the day. We bought a lovely wooden table from a friend. It needs some TLC but is just what I've been dreaming about for the sunroom. It is very plain (in terms of decoration and architecture) but expands to a square which will seat 8 easily. I'm thrilled. I have to plan a dinner party to celebrate!