El Jardin!!

The garden... the BIG garden, that is-- is tilled, hoed, raked, mounded, irrigated and planted!!! Mostly :) We have: Tomatoes (5 varieties), Jalapeños, Arbol, Bells, Guajillo, Serrano, Poblano, Spinach, Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beets, Radish, Carrots, Tomatillos, Garlic, Onions, Peas, Cilantro, Parsley, Brussel Sprouts, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Zucchini, Acorn Squash, Gourds, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Strawberries, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, and Corn!!! Whew!!

This all is in addition to our fruit trees: Orange, Lemon, Lime, Mexican Lime, Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Peach, Kumquat, Plum, Quince, Pear, Apple, Cherry, (Some sort of berry), and Guava. We also have a banana plant-- but it is not exactly, um, ... thriving ;-/ I am also trying to grow Mango and Papaya- but we shall see how that goes :)

We have Cactus, which give TONS of fruit as well as their edible Nopali, and Wild Sage- which is medicinal.

Now- if you guys know Memorie or I very well- you know that this is a sort of paradise to us :) We are having a blast with all of this fresh produce! Once the garden begins to give, and we have an abundance, we will not only be saving a ton on groceries, but we will be able to help out our friends too. What a blessing!

It has been a lot of work the past three weeks. My sister and my mom were here to help for a week, and now Mem is back- so she gets to help too :) We have had some issues with Rabbits, Gophers, and insects. We are also dealing with the fact that Mem and I are used to gardening in the Pacific NW.... not the Desert SW. So if any of you happen to be Desert SW gardening Whizzes......

Now is the waiting game..... ugh.... some stuff is already started, some have leaves, some have sprouts, and I have already been able to harvest Spinach, Lettuce, and Cilantro. But now we have to wait anywhere from 30 to 180 days before we can eat fruit :) .... that seems like such a long time. That just means that I will have plenty of time to post pictures, right :-D

><> Shae