The Fruits of my Labor

I have always wanted a garden and this year, with the help of my friend, Mary, my dream finally came true. She brought over her handy rototiller and within 15 minutes I had freshly turned soil. She also gave me several tomato plants, a squash plant and four green pepper plants. I went to a local farmer up the road and purchased strawberry, green bean and sugar snap pea plants and happily got to work planting. It seems like the wait has been forever but we are beginning to enjoy the veggies and fruit more and more. The strawberries are usually claimed by some sort of insect before we can eat them, but we have had several handfuls of green beans, a green pepper (that our 4 yr old neighbor was given), a handful of pea pods and even our first cucumber. The tomatoes and squash are still green but we will have a bounty full when they finish ripening.

Here are the things I have learned with my rookie gardening experience:

- Never plant a squash plant in a small area. It will take over EVERYTHING!

- Keep the weed barrier far away from the strawberries so they can naturally spread.

- Daily watering is an essential to lots of produce.

- The fruits and vegetables always taste much better right off the plant. Warm strawberries especially!