The Good Better Best Organic Garden 2011

Good Better Best Organic Garden  2011 with the rosemary bush from 2009
that even survived Snowmagedeon 2010

Summer is a great time for Good Better Best.  All of the farmers markets are open, although mine runs all year, the produce is fresh and every year I try a garden which is a great source for Good Better Best

We have lived in our house for five years next month and except for the first year I have had a small vegetable garden.  Now, I will not say that it has been super successful but I do attempt it every year.  Frankly, the whole gardening thing has intimidated me.  I often feel like it is a lot of work without a lot of success for me.  I think part of my challenge is that I don't plant enough and part of the problem is that I don't fertilize with anything. 

So the first part is easier...plant more.  I have a whole new philosphy this year on gardening both for flowers and for vegetables.  Instead of being fearful that I make a mistake...my new philosophy is "put it in the ground and see what happens".  So today the Sweet Boy and I purchased yukon gold potatos, Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, peppers, basil, yellow squash, cucumbers and watermelon (for the Sweet Boy).  The yukon golds were a total inpulse buy..I saw them and the Sweet Boy said to me..."Mommy put it in the ground and see what happens."  So with all of the plants in the garden this year something has to grow!

The second part...fertilizer is tricky for me.  While I want big beautiful vegetables and fruits from my garden, the thought of putting commercial chemicals on there to make them grow big and strong kinda defeats the whole purpose of the backyard garden for me.  I just can't bear the thought of putting chemicals on this garden...although I did look at them.

My friend and neighbor Ward has been telling me for years about  a product that is basicaly crushed crab shells.  It is hard to find, but this is a little more what I had in mind.  So after a trip to Home Depot for the plants and not finding anything I would use for fertilizer on this garden, the Sweet Boy and I took a trip to our local hardware store in our quaint neighborhood.  Village Hardware is an old fashioned hardware store with amazing customer service in Alexandria, VA.  When we went in I told them I was looking for fertilizer for our vegetable garden that would be organic and that I had no idea what I was doing.  One of the people who works at Village Hardware recommended the "lobster mix" which sounded like what Ward was talking about..but even better for me because being from New England there is nothing more that I love than lobster!  So off we went with a bag of Coast of Maine Lobster Compost.  http://coastofmaine.com/soils-quoddy.shtml

Today I spent a very hot Memorial Day putting in all of the plants and then adding in the lobster mix.  I had to do it in two shifts due to my health issues but all of the plants were in by dinnertime.  Clearly marked so that I do not forget what is planted where.  I hope that the plants did not get in too late..but I "put it in the ground and we will see what happens!

I will keep you updated on the Good Better Best Organic Garden 2011 and will share recipes as I hopefully use produce from the garden.  Please feel free to email me any tips or leave comments with helpful tips below!

Basil


Peppers


Yellow Squash

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