Green Beans 2012

And here it is...  My first handful of fresh-from-the-garden green beans.  Sorry about the blurriness.  My camera batteries were dead, so I took it with my phone.  There's enough out there nearly big enough to pick that I *should* get another handful this coming weekend. :)

At this point in the gardening season I can tell what plants are thriving and which aren't.  My beets started coming up, but then died away and haven't been seen again.  Only half of my tomatoes are growing; a few pepper plants, my two types of lettuce came up, but then something ate it all (probably a rabbit).

Right now, I'm the happy gardenkeeper of corn, green beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and cucumbers.  So far, so good with these vegetables.  I just hope they continue to thrive once the true heat of summer sets into the south.  Georgia can get awfully hot in August.

Speaking of cucumbers, as I was picking my handful of green beans I noticed more than a dozen itty-bitty 1 inch long cucumbers.  Maybe it won't be too long before I'm making pickles.  :)

Happy growing!

The garden has risen!

According to my grandmother and great aunt all the "signs" pointed to April 7th being the best day to plant our gardens.  We rambled around all that day getting everything ready, tilling, planting, and watering.  It was near dark when Tim and I finished.

Ten days later I was rewarded with sprouts all around.  And at this point I have many plants already several inches tall.  This is one of my green bean sprouts from yesterday.  It's just over three inches all.

Isn't it pretty?!  I'm quite happy with the growth we're having and even my trash can potatoes have sprouted up high enough for me to add another layer of dirt.  I'm still holding out hope for an excellent growing season and bountiful harvest. 

I'm looking forward to trying my hand at canning this year, but only if I grow more than the kids will devour fresh out of the garden.  By the end of the growing season I'll know if the garden will need to be expanded next year to accomplish a big winter stockpile.  Over the years I've learned that gardening is more about trial and error than having a green thumb.  Only this year I'm keeping my trials and errors on paper to refer back to next year.  ;)

Happy Growing!