All Things New

Today Jon and I put in our first garden! No pots this time--real rows in the ground! I think it's just about the coolest thing Jon and I have done together. Gardening is usually my project, but Jon wanted to make it really work this time, and hopefully we'll eat fresher and save some money over the summer. I loved working alongside him getting it ready, and it'll be cool to have produce from our own garden to enjoy and share!

Here's how the spot in our yard started. The previous youth minister had a pool here, so it's got a two-inch layer of sand over the whole thing.
The bags are composted manure. The soil around here is very good, but we wanted to add something to it, especially with all the sand it'll already have.

So...on to pouring manure. I was completely tied up inside keeping Caleb busy...and taking pictures of my hubby doing all the work...that I just couldn't be involved with the manure, as much as I would have loved to. So who will take care of the manure for me??
The first row being prepared....
Eight beautiful rows of manure:

Time to till!

Almost done! Jon's having to put his back into it, which means there's no way I could have handled that tiller.
All tilled!

Time to plan it all out:
Laying it all out before planting, to make sure we fit it all in...which of course we didn't. One of my seed packets got blown away by the breeze and I didn't notice until the end. Guess I'll plant cucumbers next year!

All planned out
Time to get it planted! I gave Jon a break after tilling, but he did plant quite a bit, too.
ALL DONE! Now to wait and see what happens next! Tonight we're listening to the low rumble of thunder and the steady beat of rain, perfect for our new plants.
Here's the list of what we planted:

• Peppers (bell, poblano, jalapeno)
• Tomatoes (heirloom, cherry)
• Onions (red, white)
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Sugar Snap peas
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini
  
• Cilantro
• Cantaloupe