The beginnings of our new herb and vegetable garden.
We set up a planter box along the back fence and it gets direct sunlight from early morning until around midday then dappled sunlight as the sun falls. We found some good dark soil, planted seedlings spaced in triangles and now a month later – thanks to some decent rain and sunny days – we are starting to reap the rewards.
The beetroot and cauliflower are sprouting tall but it will probably be many more months until they’re ready for harvest. It will be a small harvest but a tasty one nonetheless. The coriander, thyme and parsley are plentiful and make their way into our meals most nights.
My parents’ garden is definitely their pride and joy. I saw my parents spend hours in the garden when I was younger – carefully trimming the rose bushes, making compost piles and growing an amazing variety of fruits, herbs and vegetables.
Besides the tall basil plants, passionfruit and oranges – they also grew tomatoes, lettuce, rocket, potatoes and courgettes. I feel lucky to have grown up in a family of keen gardeners. My parents, the passionate and gifted gardeners that they are, have passed on a wealth of their gardening knowledge which I hope will serve me well.
You don’t need a lot of space to start a vegetable garden – you just need to be able to service your plant’s needs. It goes without saying that if you put love into your garden, you get love back. I expect some parts of our garden to flourish more than others. Sure, some things might go sideways but I take heart knowing that garden failures happen to even the most experienced gardeners.
The thought of eating home-grown vegetables that have not been picked unripe, transported all over the country and stored so that they are old and lifeless after being in our fridge for only a day is exciting to say the least. We will know for certain what goes in and on our herbs and vegetables.
There is a sense of calm that comes from nurturing and tending to these plants and that’s a wonderful thing.
We dream about more garden beds, of a life spent harvesting, pickling and preserving our own food. I love the idea of growing most of the food we eat. For now, our little herb and vegetable garden is enough for us. Progress reports to come.
I have started growing more herbs and vegetables some months ago, it’s so fulfilling, isn’t it? I know this is an old post, hope your garden is continuing to flourish!
Thanks so much! The ebb and flow of a garden keeps it interesting. We have some very lovely basil thriving at the moment – it’s so satisfying eating herbs and vegetables you have grown yourself!