V is for victory garden

The garden is in! The victory garden, that is. Not only because it will be a victory if it makes it through the summer, but because I have this daydream that during WWII, the person who lived in my house (whoever that was) had a victory garden too. Not that I need a garden to compensate for government rationing or anything.

It's just a nerdy WWII history thing I've always wanted to do. Maybe it's the cool posters - or Molly, the American Girl doll. Who knows. But now I have one!

So what's in this victory garden of mine, you ask?
Well.

• sixteen cherry tomato plants
• fifteen beefsteak tomato plants
• one heirloom tomato plant (japanese black trifele)
• six broccoli plants
• six cauliflower plants
• six basil plants
• green beans
• zucchini
• cilantro

To join the edibles already there:

• spearmint
• rhubarb
• raspberries

It rained on and off throughout the afternoon, but we didn't mind. That's right - we. I had some great help in the form of my friends Dan and Taylor. They helped me do neat things like move heavy planters from one side of the yard to another, shovel out extra mulch and build my compost bin.

But I know what you really want to see are the photos. So I'll stop jabbering:

baby heirloom tomato plant

patio section: before

fence section: before

dirt! and worms, if you look close

patio section, after taking out the yucky plastic tarps and rocks and weeds

cleaning out the fence section

my little tomato seedlings that have been growing in my mudroom since Easter

zucchini

putting together the compost bin was easier than I thought it would be

ta-da!

the one and only time I will be hanging out in the compost bin (but the worm will stay)

patio section - after (cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and basil)

fence section - after (zucchini, beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes)

Needless to say I'm so excited for everything to grow! I get hungry just thinking about all these yummy things...

- LG