My First Vegetable Garden

Well, I've got me a little garden going! A few months ago, I mentioned that I was covering the raised bed with a tarp in hopes of killing the weeds and weed seeds. Well, it did a pretty good job. We scooped up the dead grass from the top of the bed and threw it in the compost heap and horticulture bin.


Then we scooped out a bunch of the top layer in a quarter section of the bed, so that I could plant a small vegetable garden. We mixed in compost, potting soil and top soil. I planted a poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, green bell pepper, cucumber, watermelon, zucchini, 2 eggplant and cantaloupe.

So far, everything is looking good.

I also potted an herb bucket, and I planted a Rome tomato plant and sweet basil in another bucket.
My tomato is growing like gangbusters, and already has a small tomato coming in.


And there are tons of new blooms that foretell of more tomatoes to come.



I noticed the other day that the strawberry pot that I had last summer has a couple of plants still going in it, and one has even sprung up a couple of little strawberries.


I also had an old pepper plant from last year that I had given up on and forgotten over the winter, and just noticed the other day that it has 3 peppers coming in on it.


Even my mango tree is trying to put out a little something, despite the freezes that hit it hard this winter. I've spotted 3 small mangoes so far.

So that's my small attempt right now at growing my own food. I'm just sort of testing the waters right now. We'll see how it goes, and I'll share what I may learn.

Food Swap

I was thinking about my mango tree, and the possibility that it could produce much more than I could ever eat. I was thinking how great it would be to be able to swap excess food for things that I was lacking. A "food swap", of sorts. A group of people get together, they each bring produce, preserves, plants, crafts, etc., and then they swap. Is there such a thing? Surely there must be?

I did a Google search and did turn up an article about some people in England who did this. A group of 160 people met, all of them bearing foodstuffs of some sort, to trade and barter. Fruit and vegetables, tartlets, beer, chutney, sausage-- all sorts of foodstuffs. No money is permitted at a swap-- it is purely bartering.

A woman is quoted in the article as saying, "“We are trying to find alternative ways of people getting food in a way that fosters a sense of community. Our box scheme is a pick-up scheme, not a delivery one, so people can meet and talk."

Now they've got the right idea! My mouth is watering just thinking about a gathering where everyone has brought homegrown produce and goodies like homemade bread, pickles and preserves. Yum!

I'm all for this idea. If I can become a successful gardener, I'll next be working on my skills of persuasion, and seeing what I can do to convince others of the merits of a food swap. Do I hear a second?