Project Backyard Garden

I have a natural obsession for plants and basically anything that grows.  I haven’t always been like this however.  Since we moved into our house almost 5 years ago, I have purchased more plants and flowers that I ever would’ve imagined.  I think it has something to do with where we live….a modest rural area that is surrounded by farms, farm fields, vegetable stands, country markets and country animals (pheasants, coyotes, chickens, horses, and snakes). I consider myself a nature girl at heart. I love being outside; feeling the earth between my fingers, walking barefoot in the grass, savoring the early morning stillness and listening to the bird’s sing their symphony in the early dawn.  What I love most of all is plants….perennials, annuals, flowers, trees,….you name it. 

I just love to watch things grow!!! “Growing” things is so rewarding and is reflection of all things simple and beautiful.  It’s amazing how something so beautiful, so tasty, so pretty comes from a single seed.  A seed,that in the right conditions (light, humidity, moistness), will grow and produce a strawberry or a tree or a hosta or a watermelon or a flower.  My fascination with all things green sparked something inside of me recently to want to start my own vegetable garden and so “Project Backyard Garden” was born.

“Project Backyard Garden” actually started around Easter.  While at Home Depot, I saw a bunch of people huddled around the little seed packets that were in the middle of aisle.  I’d seen the little seed packets before but I’d never given them any attention. I thought people who engaged in such cultivation activities were clearly “country” and unsophisticated. Didn’t they know that they could just go to Kroger to buy their green onions and bell peppers.  Why would anyone want to go thru the painstaking task of growing their own vegetables, watering them, feeding and harvesting them when there are supermarkets that offer an abundant supply of any vegetable you’d want throughout the year.  But somehow, this particular time, I quickly found myself huddled around the little seed packets in the middle of the aisle with the rest of the country folk.

When I approached the cash register I assessed what I had...seed packets filled with string beans, red onion, spinach, red bell pepper and a delicate flower known as Sweet Pea.  A starter greenhouse with grow pellets and a magazine on how to grow a garden.  I was all set to begin.

I started all of my seeds indoors since the weather in Michigan was still unpredictable in April.  I placed my greenhouse trays on the kitchen windowsill and prayed that they grow and make momma proud.  I envisioned harvesting these veggies in the near future and enjoying their homegrown taste.  I’d then pat myself on the back and grin like a proud mom as I’d made these veggies from scratch.

Within 3 weeks my once dry seeds became nice size seedlings…green, firm, yet still very tender.  Their roots were starting to become tangled and overgrown so I knew I had to transplant them soon.  I purchased a vegetable planter from Sam’s Club and began the process of transplanting them to their permanent home. 

All was going well until my seedlings took a turn for the worse.  The weather in Michigan tricked me!!! For a couple of days we had nice spring-like weather and then like a cruel joke old man winter returned with cold temperatures, high winds and a couple of frost advisories.  Needless to say my seedlings are hanging on for dear life.  My green beans are no longer standing erect and their leaves are starting to dry out (despite the 40 inches of rain it feels like we’ve received over the past couple of weeks).  My poor red onions are barely doing anything and my red peppers well…they’re hanging on too.  So “Project Backyard Garden” is turning into a bust….and I’m not happy. 

Earlier this week I happened to be a local nursery and low and behold my prayers were answered.  Starter plants.  These plants had already survived their hardest stage in life (i.e seeds and seedings) and were thriving young plantings.  I scooped up a variety of them…broccoli, cauliflower, more red bell peppers, squash, yellow sweet onions, strawberry and red onion and headed home quickly to plant them.    

So now my urban garden looks official.  It’s only been a couple of days since the starter plants were planted but I smile every time I look out the window and see a flourishing garden.  Hopefully in a couple of months, my husband and I can feast on our own supply of fresh veggies from our backyard garden.  I’ll be sure to put a sticker on them that says, “From our backyard garden with love”.

Here are some pics of our starter plants.