My Fall Garden

I've been busy working on my fall garden, the first full-fledged garden I've ever actually planned out and grown from seed. Our bean tepee (purple pole beans and pole bean supermaconi) is the only thing actually in the ground - save some spring plantings of eggplant, pepper and basil that made it through the harsh summer heat. Oh, and a few zinnias, all leggy and ugly now, but still somehow producing beautiful blooms.

This slimy guy was crawling around near the beans over the weekend, much to my gals' delight (not so much to mine). They actually made him a little home on a boogie board with an in-ground custom mud pond! Hmm, I hope other critters don't get wind of our hospitality...

The real action is actually happening indoors, where my dear seedlings are sprouting and growing with the help of plant lights. I repurposed the shelf under our nature table, outfitting it with a shop light. It's just the right space to fit two seed trays (about 100 seeds), bringing a whole new meaning to the "nature table!"

Being my first real garden, I have to admit the whole process is both inspiring and a bit nerve wrecking. I just love to watch the seeds sprout and grow (as do the kids); but I worry it's not happening fast enough and I'm behind schedule. I'm ecstatic I could harvest both of my compost bins to boost my soil, as well as a new batch of vermicompost for future fertilizer. But I fret about transferring the seedlings to the ground, about planting everything in the right place, about companion planting and succession planting and so on. But with the guidance of a dear friend, a master gardener with a fabulous backyard garden (that I promise to share when it's in full force for the mere inspiration of it), I'm taking it step by step. Wish me luck... and I'll keep you posted!