a novice gardener...

I am fascinated with Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, and Prince Charles.  I admire so much their knowledge of gardening!  I grew up with a garden.  Nothing tastes better than a fresh tomato eaten IN the garden with juice dripping down your face.  I have always attempted to have gardens wherever I have lived...in a little house that I rented with 3 college friends, in my appartment with my fiance, in our first house after we got married.  But, I never really felt like it was the "real deal." 

Last year, my husband & i moved into his "family home."  The house is 150+ years old and my children are the 5th generation of the family to live in the house.  I am very thankful to have the opportunity to experience the house and all that goes with it.  So this year...I am jumping in head first into the world of gardening.  In the posts to follow, I hope to journal my experiences with learning to build a "real" garden! 

January - ordered 1000 red wriggler worms from Uncle Jims Worm Farm to add to my compost bin.  i have really been enjoying adding yummy stuff to the bin daily!  I can't wait to see what they will do!

February 12 - My step-dad constructed 2 coldframes using old windows from the house.  Purchased trays, seed starting soil, and seeds.  Also purchased 2 sets of onions and a mint plant.

February 14 & 15 - My Valentine & I weeded the 6 raised garden beds that my mother-in-law had put in a few years ago.  They were overrun with weeds since none of us had any time last summer to keep up with the weeding!  We also cleaned out the rabbit hutch and added a mass quantity of rabbit poop to the compost bin.

February 19 - Purchased 12 bags of composted manure.  Hubby tilled all 6 beds, and we added the composted manure to each. 

February 20 - Planted 1 set of sweet red onions, 1 set of Georgia sweet onions, 1 set of cabbage, 4 red cabbage plants, 1 set of collard greens, and 8 broccoli plants.  Added thick layers of soaking wet newspaper between plants to try to keep weeds at bay.  (we"ll see)  Added straw over plants after newspaper was down.

So much more to plant...stay tuned...