How does your garden grow?

Last year one of my work friends gave me a left over jalapeno pepper plan that she didn't have room for in her garden. We planted it with little understanding of growing things and not much research. Just put the plant in a pot and let it go.

We were pleasantly surprised when a) it flourished and produced A LOT of peppers and b) the girls got extremely in to the process. The downside of course was the peppers were too hot for them to eat so they didn't get the taste the rewards of our semi-effort (I did stake up the plant so it wouldn't fall over.). At that time we decided to do a garden this year and plant things the girls could eat and enjoy.

The gardening time has arrived. We decided to do a container garden because I am not real fond of the idea of taking up my yard space for a garden. I know. I am weird. But everyone has their preferences.

I researched square foot gardening and decided to do a 4x4 container. SP built the container with a little help from our home improvement expert C. This year we are experimenting with a box that has a bottom and wheels. The idea was to be able to move it if necessary but I am not sure that is going to be needed. Also, not sure how the bottom will work with root growth.

I am planning to grow everything vertically, been researching that too. The first question that will come to your head when you see the list below is how can you possibly grow watermelon vertically? It's possible but who knows if we'll be successful. More to come...

I used the soil mix recommended in the book. Not going to go crazy and try it any other way because I don't know what I am doing. If they spell it out as being successful I am for it. The girls both helped mixing up the soil and getting the box ready. I think they honestly had more fun getting dirty than they did anything else, but that was sorta the point right, to get them involved? At one point R was rubbing the soil mix up and down her legs. Nothing like a dirt bath.

We planted the following...

• 4 tomato plants (includes heirloom and cherry)
• zucchini
• beans
• cucumbers
• basil
• onions
• carrots
• red pepper
• green pepper
• watermelon (R's selection)
• strawberries (C's selection)

So far we have produced two very small strawberries that the girls promptly ate. Everything else seems to be taking off to the point where I am not 100% sure what to do with it all. The girls get super excited about seeing the plants grow and that in itself makes this a success. If we manage to actually get some fruit and veggies out of if, well that will be a huge bonus.