The Garden is Real In

--Photo borrowed from this blog.

I always laughed when I saw this Peanuts illustration. It puzzled me as a kid. The grammar was weird. But the thought of poor Charlie Brown taking advice from bossy Lucy always made me smile. I was the kind of kid who would have set up a booth like this to boss others (especially my sisters) around.

All that to say - our garden is "real in"!

We've planted some newbies this year (brussels sprouts, arugula, and onions) and some standby old favorites (spinach, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus, and cucumbers). We haven't had much rain, so my husband's been watering faithfully.

I help weed when I can, but I'm getting less bend-y as the baby grows, so much of that is falling to him.

Our spinach reseeded itself last fall, so it grew up quickly and we've already been enjoying it in salads and smoothies. 

In our first year of gardening, we learned a lot. We can now usually distinguish a weed from a seedling. We know not to plant the neighborhood bunny's favorite foods near the fence. And we put in a brick path to avoid muddy, muddy shoes after a rainfall.

We still have a lot to learn, though. Where do the tomatoes grow best? How far apart do you really have to space the brussels sprouts? How often should we water in the midst of this drought? When are the onions ready to be eaten?

I love the hands-on learning of the garden. After a day of sermon writing, scheduling, logistics, emails, and phone calls, it's really refreshing to get my hands filthy in the soil, to watch the little seedlings poking their heads up, and to see the daily changes in our garden. There's something holy about it all.

Do you have a green thumb? What garden plant are you most excited about harvesting this year?