I Finally Have Some Plants in the Ground

I finally have some plants in my garden. I'm way behind, but my veggies are growing now.

I've been extremely busy and emotional about both professional and personal things over the past couple of months, so I failed to start my seeds when I should have been gently placing them in little soil pellets. Instead, my husband bought me some plants for Mother's Day, and we put them in the ground yesterday afternoon.

I have two green peppers, one purple pepper, three tomatoes, two sweet basils, a zucchini, a cucumber, and a sweet mint. It's a start. I need to get onion sets soon. I also plan to plant some dill, green beans, and potatoes. We'll see how much of that I get done.

Mushrooms are also on my gardening list this year. I've purchased some lion's mane and morel spores, and I'm anxious to try my hand at growing them. I will be planting those in the house as soon as I figure out the best place for them.

I grew up with a huge garden every year. Mom and Dad tilled an entire city lot for the garden, and my sister and I cared for it. We grew lettuce, peas, green beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, watermelon, cantaloup, and onions. There were some years when Mom changed things up with exotic things like Brussels sprouts, but she usually kept to the basics.

Our large garden is the reason I learned to can, dehydrate, and freeze food at a young age. That said, I have a confession. I am contemplating the purchase of something extravagant this year. This is a big decision due to how expensive it is. I feel like I'm worth it, but I also hate to let go of my hard-earned money in such uncertain times.

I've been looking at electric pressure canners. Yes, I am perfectly capable of using a stovetop pressure canner, but I feel like an electric one would make things easier, and I want one. So far in my adult life, I've been able to freeze or boiling bath my garden bounty. However, green beans must be canned under pressure in order to stay safe while stored, and I won't need to worry about the canner reaching the right pressure if it's electric.

I have the best of intentions every year. I plan a huge garden and then end up with a few plants. Honestly, I'm lucky to grow enough onions, peppers, and tomatoes to make a batch of salsa. My goal this year is to grow enough produce to eat my fill and preserve enough to feed my husband and me throughout the winter. We'll see how things happen.

Do you grow a garden? If so, what do you grow?

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