Health, Taken Seriously

Two years ago, my husband and I tried gardening for the first time.  We had planted herbs previously, but that year, we also did tomatoes, zucchinis, spinach, bell peppers, and poblanos.  It was a huge success.  Last year, we were selling our house and moving, so we didn’t plant a thing.  And I missed it horribly.

This past week, my husband and I built a raised garden bed, filled it with organic soil and compost, and planted 10 tomato plants, oregano, basil, flat-leaf parsley, and a couple strawberries for the kids (we already have plans to build two more raised gardens, but that will have to wait until next year).  I can’t explain how excited our 4-year old is about the whole process.  I think it’s really important that children have a connection to their food and what better way than growing it yourself?

I used to think gardening was too much work.  Why bother doing it yourself when you can buy perfectly good produce at the store?  I didn’t want to spend my weekends working in the yard.  But my attitude has changed.  I actually don’t find it much of a chore at all.  The kids love playing in the yard and helping out when we need to tend to the garden.  And pausing each morning or evening to water things is surprisingly relaxing.  Of course, it’s also really important to me to buy local, organic food and clearly my own garden is as local as it gets.  The taste of the produce is also quite compelling–once you’ve had an organic, vine-ripened, home-grown tomato, there’s no going back.

So gardeners…. what are you planting this year?  What have you successfuly grown in your region?  What are your favorite fruits and veggies to grow yourself?