The Lettuce is Growing

When we moved into this house, I was very excited about planting some veggies and strawberries in the garden out back. It's already fenced off and has obviously been used as a garden for some time. We got some seeds, soil, and little peat pots so we could start a few plants indoors while still in winter. I thought it would be wonderful to go pick our own fresh salads this summer, so we started a couple varieties of lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes. We also started some herbs.

I should probably mention here that I'm not particularly good at follow-through. I start out well, but I sure do fizzle out - a lot. I also have zero experience in growing vegetables. I manage some houseplants or flowers okay. Sometimes. Other times, I just kill them.

The garden area is fairly large (about 36' x 16'). I didn't intend to utilize the entire space this year, since I don't really know what I'm doing anyway. So I worked a small section in which I could plant my little salad. I also discovered from my neighbor that this garden plot is actually incredibly fertile and wonderful and had hosted one of the best gardens ever for many, many years. I was excited by the lush and healthy soil and stories of its abundance.

The time finally came that it seemed we should get those plants in the ground. But life happened and they stayed in the house that week. And the next. And probably another week (or two). By the time I got them out there, some were looking a little sad. Maybe getting them in healthy, fertile soil would help out. The lettuce was looking kind of dead already, but I stuck the tiny peat pots in the ground anyway. Of the four tomato plants a friend gave me, one died, two were looking good, and the other didn't look like it would make it. I planted it anyway. Either the cucs or peppers weren't going to make it - I forgot which one that row was. The other one looked good, so it made it outdoors.

So I had lettuce, cucs or peppers, and tomatoes. Not much, but it was a start. The poor lettuce - it was already too far gone. The two tomatoes were hanging in there, but the third was on its way to compost. And whatever that last row is - cucs or peppers, it's doing quite well. I think.

The cucumber or pepper:

We've had quite the abundance of rain this past week, so I finally got out there to assess the potential for our salad garden. In the course of pulling out a few weeds and checking over my veggies, I discovered that the entirely dead lettuce had new growth!! My lettuce is growing! I had no hope for the lettuce at all. Not even when I put it in the ground. But it's growing! I am SO excited!! Now the tomatoes are another story - their leaves are turning a little yellow and I should probably offer them a little better protection or something. Maybe some water walls. Not sure there. The cucs/peppers seem to be thriving, so I look forward to what that will bring.

Sorta sad tomato:

Even though we may not have a huge, bountiful harvest, I'm hoping to have a few salads here and there. And I do have plans of buying some more plants to get out there. Who knows, one day we may have a lovely garden from which we can help feed our family and maybe some friends and neighbors as well.