Garden!- Week One

It's still 14 degrees and raining in Vancouver. Spring, where are you!? I decided to try my luck and run away to the East Coast for the entire month, but it rained there too. Really.

I got home on Monday and was delighted to find that my dad had planted the vegetable garden. Apparently, it was sunny and warm for a weekend, and our garden (which normally is planted a month earlier) finally beckoned to be planted. And so plant he did. Three varieties of beets, three kinds of lettuces, two varieties of carrots, and some kale and swiss chard. As promised, I plan on charting the garden's progress. Here we are at week one:

Markers, letting us know what is what! I picked these up at Chapters, believe it or not. But you can find them anywhere. My dad normally just uses popsicle sticks, but I was looking for something a bit more cute this year. If you are planting a huge garden, I suggest you use markers. Things get confusing otherwise! And it's always nice to be organized.

This is what the garden looks like right now. Nothing growing yet! But with a bit of sunshine and a whole lot of whispered sweet nothings, there will be a lot growing soon!

We're growing a lot of fruit this year as well. Blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, and apples! Here we have real live blueberry blossoms! This is a good sign! That means that we will have real live blueberries soon. These bushes were planted last summer, at the end of the growing season so we were unable to harvest any. Blueberry bushes are a nice option for those looking for a bit of aesthetic appeal during the winter. The branches of the blueberry bushes turn bright red in the winter, providing a bit of much needed colour during the most drab months of the year. Then, in the summer they bare luscious, plump berries. Win!

And look! I found some apple blossoms. Last year we also planted some apple trees in the backyard. Each tree contains four different varieties of apples. Seriously! Don't question! The tree didn't produce any apples last year, but it looks like this year will be a different story! Blossoms = baby fruit!

And then we've got a plethora of fresh herbs! We are growing rosemary, thyme, chives, basil, cilantro, and mint (pictured below). If you are unable to grow a garden due to your living circumstances (ex: you live on the 50th floor of an apartment building), herbs are a great option that allow you to feel as though you are capable of being a real life gardener. They grow really well and don't take up much space, which is perfect for those with tiny living areas! Plus, fresh herbs always ALWAYS taste better than dried! To recap: they look gorgeous, smell fantastic, don't take up much room, are easy to grow, and taste DELISH.

So this is where we're at right now! Watching everything come to life is really quite special and magical. I'll be back soon, with lots of yummy things to share (triple chocolate scones, yes!). But in the meantime, plant something! and watch it grow. Really, it's incredible.