Yesterday was the first day that it actually felt like spring here in Pennsylvania. The daffodils actually bloomed, and we could walk around without our heavy coats and sweatshirts and sweaters. I parked the car in the driveway, in the sun, and got it cleaned out while my youngest and I waited for the kindergarten bus. All very nice, but the biggest development came later. After work, my husband started planning out a garden.
Planning out a garden is something that he and I have been talking about for a while. Growing some of our own produce is a great way to save money and provide healthy food for the family.
In our neck of the woods (literal woods, that is), creating a space for a garden is no easy task. There are too many trees, for example, and at least one family of deer, one family of raccoons and a warren of rabbits, not to mention a slew of birds, the neighbor’s dogs and something mysterious that keeps digging up our front walk.
In short, putting in a garden at our home requires cutting down a few smaller trees, removing rocks and stumps (or having fresh soil dumped on top) and building a fence of at least eight feet high.
Now you know why it has taken us so long.
Still, we are determined to grow some of our food and possibly shave about $20-$30 off of our food bill each week.
Guess what our first crop is?
In the morning, I reached into our produce bin and took out a few onions for dinner. One of the onions had spouted a long green stalk. Thanks to my oldest child, the onion is now planted in a container to be transferred to the garden once we have the fence put in place.