Our ambitious garden

I love summer! We've planted quite a bit this year and I'm excited to see how they do. The only one I'm a little concerned about is the grape plant. Typical of me, I saw this cute little plant and thought how fun it would be to grow grapes. The kids love them, Louie loves them, I love them... After planting it (and it's taking off by the way) I saw a full grown grape vine! Wow, they get huge! Hmm, now I can't move the little guy. Guess I'll have to prune and train it...A LOT! So here's a picture of the grape (green grapes, yum!). We also planted a strawberry patch since they've done so well in the past in our yard. We're hoping this planter will be a permanent bed that we can enjoy every year. I'll post some pictures later this summer...

We also planted a squash bed. I love squash! So of course, I blocked out how big they get and how much space they need and purchased way more than I had room for. We planted patty pan, crookneck, zucchini, and cucumber ( I know it's not squash, but a similar plant). Since I know I don't have enough room, I'm trying the vertical growing thing for the first time. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to get them to climb those bamboo sticks, I may add some netting around the pyramid. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them! On another note, with the squash, we don't get many bees in our area. Therefore, in years past, I've had problems with the veggies pollinating. I would grow huge, wonderful vines, but the squash would never grow past a certain size. Well, after some research, I got pretty good at hand pollinating and have had some great crops. I'm happy to say, this year my kids are old enough to help! Now I won't have to go out with a flashlight and a q-tip at 4 in the morning anymore! I can just call my kids and remind them to do it! Yay! (The squash flowers only open in the morning, and the female flowers only open for one day, so if you miss that day, you miss your chance. I work early mornings and the flowers are usually closed by the time I get home. This is a time I wish I was close enough to go home on my lunch break!)

Those are the only interesting pictures I have. We've also planted tomatoes, raspberries, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, asparagus, and lots of herbs! We figured if we were going to go to all the effort of planting, it might as well be something we can eat! Also, it makes it fun for the kids. I still have garlic bulbs and some other seeds to plant. Maybe this weekend...