Garden Challenge: May Update

We are really "digging" this gardening thing!  We can't wait to start harvesting some of our produce and enjoy all the hard work we've been putting in.  In the last month we have done a lot of work in the design of the garden.  You can see our first Garden Challenge post HERE and our April Update HERE.  Unfortunately we had a really rainy spring so we didn't get to plant as many of the cool weather crops as we would have liked.  We still have many different kinds of plants started though.  The kids decided that they would like to add some herbs and flowers to the garden so we've included some zinnias and marigolds as well as basil, chives, rosemary, and thyme in addition to our veggies.  Also a good friend gave us two dozen strawberry plants after I mentioned that ours did not make it through the winter.  She informed me that the type of strawberry plant we put in last year does not usually do well through the winter here, that it's more of a fair weather plant.  The type she gave us is more hardy and we are looking forward to this year's crop and next year's as well. 

We have spent a lot of time in the garden over the last month.  Little M's interest and attention varies but Ms. Q is really taking responsibility for her box.  Here are our most recent pictures of the garden:

Our garden

Ms. Q's box

Little M's box

One thing I learned so far is how little I actually know about how plants grow.  I know the basics of the life cycle of plants and even about photosynthesis.  But what I find challenging is that each plant is so different.  Each plant in our garden requires different conditions for ultimate growth.  From the soil makeup to the fertilizer to the amount of sunlight and water, each plant is an individual.  I have spent more time googling plant care and gardening tips in the last month than in my entire life!  We definitely won't learn all there is to know about our plants this year (or in the next ten years I'm sure).  But Ms. Q and I are learning how to find the information we need.  I feel like I'm able to show her that it's ok to not know the answers and to ask someone who does know.  We are also learning from our mistakes (like the strawberries).  These lessons go beyond gardening and I hope Ms. Q is able to learn these lessons as well as how to grow a great veggie garden.

There is still one more update in The Homeschool Village Garden Challenge.  By next month we should be enjoying the fruits (and veggies, herbs, and flowers) of our labors.