Mary Mary Quite Contrary...

...How does your garden grow?

With tomato plants three

and herbs for you and me.

That's how Mandy's garden grows!

Well, this is my first year planting tomatoes, and they are looking great! We planted three Roma tomato plants, and by the looks of the picture below, they are a bit too close together. They really look more like a tomato bush. Whoops! I'll know better next year.

Our banana peppers also are looking good, as you can see below. There are a a few peppers that are getting just about big enough to eat.

Our debut herbs (rosemary, cilantro and parsley) are doing well, and the perennials we planted last year (chives, oregano, mint) are really taking over!

What is it about gardening that makes you feel so good? I wonder if there are studies that cite the health benefits of gardening because of all the endorphins the body releases?

Maybe it feels good because of the inherent hope. Beginning something small and cultivating it to fruition. Thinking about all the future possibilites ... canned tomatoes, salsa, homemade spaghetti sauce.

It's kind of like that in life, too, I guess. Without hope, what have you got? Our lives begin small, but with the love and nurture of those around us—parents, grandparents, friends—we grow into something beautiful and, hopefully, useful to the world. Being less wasteful and taking care of the earth. Living compassionately and taking care of our neighbor, whether he is next door or on the other side of the globe.

Finally ... Spring!

Middle Tennessee has been basking in the 70s and 80s during the last few weeks. Alex and I have been taking the opportunity to work outside.

Our mint and chives from last year are already coming back in our herb garden full force. In fact, our basil has come back with a vengence ... and basil is supposed to be an annual herb! Annual plants are supposed to only live one year while perennial plants come back year after year. So I don't know what the deal is with that, but I'm not complaining. I think our winter wasn't quite so severe that maybe they never completely went away.

We went back to our friendly Farmer's Co-op yesterday and bought three tomato plants, two hot banana pepper plants and some cilantro for our little garden. I'd also like to put out some oregano and cilantro, but they didn't have any. I'm hoping they'll get some in early this week.

Alex also bought me a compost bin for Christmas, so we've got that set up and I'm learning all I can about how to compost. With all our recycling and composting, our household trash is rapidly diminishing. I'm hoping this summer we can cancel our trash pick-up service, and what trash we do have, we can take in our truck to the dump.

Wish me luck! :)

Green Weekend

We had a fantastically green weekend. Saturday morning, Alex and I went to the local Farmer's Market and bought some fresh fruits and veggies. I have already had one of the mouth-watering peaches. We also picked up bell peppers for stuffed bell peppers for dinner one night, a cucumber for my lunch, and red potatoes for fresh, cool potato salad. Find a local Farmers Market by clicking here.

Also, we finished our rain barrels. The pictures to the left show the one in the front yard (our sycamore tree must be watered every other day this first summer) and the one in the back yard, which we'll mostly use for watering my herbs. Rain barrels are a great way to catch rainwater and reuse it for your own purposes before it goes back into the earth.

You can buy rain barrels from somewhere like Home Depot or on the Internet, or you can make your own. Alex made these for us. We bought the barrels from Lebanon Chemical Company for only $15 each. They used to hold bleach, so we rinsed them out really well before using them. If you buy a pre-made rain barrel, it will cost more, but it will be easier to set up. Alex had to cut several holes in these—one for a spigot, one for the water to pour in and one for overflow. Also, a pre-made rain barrel would probably blend in a little better than the bright blue one we have.

I wanted to give you an update on our herb garden. The mint on the right has gone crazy. We knew it would. I have made mint lemonade, and it was delicious. We plan to make mojitos for our Fourth of July party—yum! We're also enjoying our oregano (middle) and chives (left). Next year, we're already planning a much bigger herb garden with cilantro, and whatever else we can think of. If you have had success with some herbs that are particularly useful in the kitchen, let me know. I'd also like to put a tomato plant in there. "Dad" will have to give me some pointers!

Here is a picture of me beside the tree we planted back in April. It's a sycamore, and it is growing very nicely. The rain barrels should cut down on our water bill since the tree needs watering every other day.

This weekend we also finally got our clothesline up! I've already put a few loads up there to dry, mostly towels and bathing suits. I bought a retractable clothesline at Lowe's for less than $15.

So, overall, I'm very pleased with the green steps we've taken this weekend. Let me know what you're doing to go green!

Wednesday April 22, 2009, is Earth Day

I'm posting my first blog in honor of Earth Day. I'm starting this blog, It ain't easy bein' green, as a resource for friends or visitors to the site to keep up with my ever-increasing bid to "go green" in daily life, as well as to provide helpful tips and resources for you to make greener decisions in your own life.

Last weekend, Alex and I took advantage of the *beautiful* weather in Middle Tennessee to play outside all day. We planted a sycamore tree in our front yard, an herb garden at the side of the house and petunias in our front porch planters.


In this picture, you can see my herb garden. We planted, from left to right, chives, oregano and mint. The chives and mint are perennials, so they should come back each year. We also planted parsley and basil seeds inside the kitchen on the windowsill.

We went to our local Farmer's Co-Op to get the herb plants. It's a great way to support local farmers. It's also a great place to buy honey. Local honey is good for your allergies, and it too supports local farmers. Buying anything local helps conserve the fuel it takes to transport items from one place to another. Your local farmer's market is another way to support local farmers, and your fruits and veggies will be fresh and in season. To find a farmer's market near you, visit http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/.

Let me know what you're doing to celebrate Earth Day ... and beyond!