The garden is doing great.

We were really concerned planting on the north side of the house would not provide adequate sunlight. That actually seems to be a great choice. Florida direct sun might be too hot for tender plantings. This picture was taken just three weeks after the garden was planted. ( April 12th) and our harvest thus far has been wonderful herbs and peppers.

Thanks Matthew!

The post Basil, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, mint, cabbage, peppers and more! first appeared on Zjudes blog.

Last weekend Matt asked if I had ever wanted to plant a garden. Of course my answer was an astounding “YES”.
Living in Florida we have a lot of sun and recent years not enough rain. I knew I could keep up with a garden once it was planted, but I really wasn’t sure where to put it or how to go about it. So, Matt got on the computer and he investigated.
We agreed a box garden would be the way to go. It would insure proper drainage and the biggest plus, we would not have to deal with tilling or removing the roots from the palms and plants. Within three hours he had constructed an 8’x4’x1′ wooden box, cleared the area and laid garden cloth on the ground inside. It was beautiful and I was totally impressed with my new Son-In-Law and his woodworking skills.
My assignment was to determine the proper mix of soil we would need, so off to the garden center I went on Monday morning. I met a knowledgeable gentlemen who told me exactly what I needed. He told me to use a mixture of manure for nutrients, clean top soil and peat to absorb to prevent the dirt from becoming soggy. He calculated each type by cubic foot and I texted the info to Matt who would pick the soil up in the truck after work.
That night Lou and Matt filled the box with soil. Now all I had to do was find some plantings and we would be set! It is a little late for seeds, so I thought since it was our first garden, I would begin with young plants. It would be a shame as well as expensive to fail.
The next day I visited several nurseries and filled my SUV with a great selection of shade tolerant vegetables and herbs. They would be perfect! I found green and purple cabbage, several types of lettuce, zucchini and yellow squash, rosemary, basil, stevia, spearmint and chocolate mint, a variety of peppers including bell and jalapeno, datil and banana. And we cannot resist tomatoes. The box garden will be brimming soon as I am certain I have planted a little too generously.
It only took about an hour to tuck the healthy plantings into the lush prepared bed. It was beautiful. I dashed off a picture to Matt to show him our garden.
What do YOU think?

The post Our Garden Progress Report first appeared on Zjudes blog.