Growing Good Things

I've never been much of a gardener, but with the help of a friend, I am going to plant my first vegetable garden this year. I am really clueless about gardening, so it's nice to have help and support from someone who's done it successfully before. We are going to plan where to put the garden tomorrow, and then I'll need to start preparing the site.

I've already got seeds started and it's pretty neat to watch them grow. I got little peat pots and planted seeds for bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower. I also got seeds for beets but those will go directly into the ground later.

The reason I'm doing this is two-fold: first, a different friend of mine, Beth, was interested in doing joining a CSA (Crop Sharing Association, I think), and we were talking about possible sharing a "share". But there is a substantial cost involved (if I figured it out, I probably would actually save money in the long run, but it is a chunk of change up front). We also talked about growing our own veggies and sharing those. That is definitely the least expensive route to go. When I knew I could get help from my experienced gardener friend, I decided to give growing a shot. The second reason I'm growing my own veggies is that I know they will be more nutritious than what can be bought in the store (which has been grown who knows where in nutrient-defficient soil and travelled for who knows how many miles).

And I guess maybe there is a third reason, but I am hesitant about it - it may turn out to be very fulfilling to grow my own "crops" and eat what I grow. But I'm hesitant about this because if I fail and nothing grows well, then that will just be a big bummer. But I am hopeful that with the help of knowledgeable friends, I will be able to grow at least something edible!

Wish me luck!