How Does My Garden Grow? - Part 6
Lush and Green Kitchen Garden
So this is my first garden that I started planning last fall, and I think it's safe to say that I'm a gardener now for sure! So how does my garden grow? It has been about two months since I planted, and the growth has simply amazed me! The composted raised beds have certainly carried their weight in contributing to a lush and green garden. The organic composted materials have provided the essential nutrients needed for plants to grow large, strong, and healthy. (The power of composted chicken manure!!) I had said when I first started this adventure, that I would "show and tell" no matter how my garden turned out. I am so excited (and relieved) to show you the results. No embarrassing apologies here. I must say that the square foot and vertical gardening seems to be working out really well!
About a month after planting, everything was growing steadily, and I was excited to see changes just about every day. I enjoy taking my morning coffee down to the garden to see what is happening. The Chickie-Babes were excited to see all that green stuff, too, but their scratching in the garden beds ended the day the plants and seeds went into the ground! They are such good garden workers. They provided the fertilizer, and the tilling (their scratching turned the compost over), and their egg shells were used in the garden beds for added calcium and to deter slugs and snails. But for now, the garden gate will be closed to them.
 |
We also had a good many warm and sunny days, and we have friends in our garden . . . beneficial workers like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds that pollinate the blossoms, and lovely little wrens and toads who eat the harmful insects!
Once everything was a few inches above ground, we added a 2-inch layer of composted mushroom manure as a mulch. This gave the vegetable plants some added nutrients, helped to hold the moisture in the soil, and kept the weeds down. As a result, I haven't had to spend too much time weeding my garden.
Everything has been growing great, and before long we started harvesting some lettuces and herbs from our garden. And now, we're beginning to enjoy our first tomatoes and peppers! The heirloom varieties are just wonderful!
And now you see for yourself. . . that's how my garden grows! I'd say it is a success. I'm very pleased with it and would highly recommend a square foot, vertical, organic heirloom garden, and especially the chicken manure. . . what a fertilizer! Everything in my garden seems to be giant-sized. Truth be told, it was God who grew this garden, not me. I planted the seeds, and He watered them and made them grow. I just watched. By His Hand we are all fed.
The garden is fun for the whole family. I enjoy working in the garden, we all enjoy the fresh and wholesome table food, and my grandchildren love to play in the garden. To them, it's a jungle!
I thank my husband for his support and for building the garden structures. I thank you for following along on my garden story. And I thank and praise God for His amazing design in creation.
