Adventures in Gardening

   Last year, I had my very first fruit and veggie garden. It was very exciting to see my plants start off as tiny little things and then grow, grow and grow until they were producing food that I could eat!
Here is what I grew:

• Strawberries. One of the most delicious fruits ever! My plant only produced small, mutated looking fruit, but it was exciting!
• Cucumbers. The cucumbers were delicious. However, I did learn that you should not let them hang out on the plant too long or they will taste quite bitter. Make sure to pick those suckers before they start turning yellow. 
• Corn. My parents had a couple of veggie gardens when I was a kid, and I remember being delighted by the corn plants. At the time, they grew to be much taller than me which was part of the joy. But they were fun to watch grow as an adult too.
• Tomatoes. There is no getting around it. Homegrown tomatoes are at least a million times better.
• Raspberries. I like Raspberries even more than strawberries. Unfortunately, the plant did not produce any actual fruit.
• Blueberries. My blueberries didn't produce either, but I still have the plant, so maybe I'll get some blueberries this year.
• Red Bell Pepper. This plant also did not produce.
• Peas. The peas were delicious!
• Pumpkin. Two things I remember the most from first grade: having pet silk moth caterpillars and growing my own pumpkin. Based on my fond memories of growing a pumpkin in first grade, I knew I had to try it again. The pumpkin plant was one of the most fun to watch, because it started so small and ended up growing super long. It stretched out at least ten feet from the base of the plant. It was fun having a home grown pumpkin during Halloween and eating homegrown roasted pumpkin seeds. 
• Watermelon. I almost forgot about the watermelon plant because it died almost immediately. Maybe Seattle isn't  the right climate for watermelons. I was pretty disappointed since watermelons are some of the most delicious fruits in all existence. 

I also had a separate herb garden in which I grew basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, and dill.

Here are pictures of my plants in action.

  This year, I live in a new apartment. I love my new apartment, but one of the few downsides is that I no longer have a spot to have a small garden. But I've learned there are other ways to grow food in a small scale fashion. For Christmas, I got David a mushroom growing kit in which the grower grows there very own, edible mushrooms. Here it is in action! Part of the fun is watching the mushrooms grow so rapidly from day to day.

   Now that it is Spring, I have other idea's for small scale edible growing. I am thinking of starting a miniature herb garden. Something else I've always wanted to try is growing sprouts. A friend of mine did this in college, and she grew delicious sprouts. She grew them in a big jar underneath her sink. I remember being very impressed by her sprout growing skills. But now that I have a whole vegetable garden under my belt, I think it is time to try growing some sprouts in the kitchen.