spring's vegetable garden...a tribute to the past

I've kicked and fought, but I've finally given in. I'm going to plant another vegetable garden this year.

Kate and I planted one last year in my backyard. Although we had a very fun time with the planting process (aside from finding a double bagged something in the soil), we had beginners bad luck. The spot I mapped out was just too small for what we put in. The lemon cucumbers and the zucchini quickly towered over everything. The chives never had a fighting chance against Lucy's footsteps, the eggplants were too heavy on the vine, I forgot to put a trap around one of the tomato plants, etc., etc. Once everything was gone, I vowed I was never going to do another vegetable garden and instead was going to plant the area of the yard with low maintenance perennials and shrubs.

Then our economy took a big 'ol dump! In an effort to save money and my waistline, I've been planning out our weekly meals and doing the grocery shopping once a week as opposed to taking torturous quick trips to the market during the week or picking up food on the way home from work. (I love you and miss you deeply Rongoli, Aldo's, and Chipotle.) This past week, I heard a piece on NPR about growing vegetable gardens and how it's a great way to save money and some would venture to say patriotic. I've never been big on patriotism; amongst other wonderful things, that's what my sister is for, but, I really started thinking how aside from the money factor, a vegetable garden would be a wonderful tribute to my past, to a simpler, cleaner way of living. From Grandpa's nasturtiums growing in the desert (followed by a nasturtium sandwich at lunch), to his grapefruit trees, his homemade raisins that us cousins would throw in the deep end of the pool by the handfuls just to see if we could go all the way to the bottom without the pain in our ears getting to us first, to the blackberries in our backyard at the Rancho Vista house where we'd find the neighbor's turtles hiding, and the chickens in our coop and those delicious eggs they produced if Big Red, the rooster didn't break them first.

All these wonderful things were a part of my youth and the nostalgia is too great to ignore. It's these simple things that I look back on with such fondness. Not my barbies, tv, video games, or all the other battery operated toys that kids of today simply must have. So, a vegetable garden we shall plant!

I spent this Sunday mapping out the garden. The space is much bigger this year, about 7'x12' although it's kind of a funny shape. The curves of the area will blend in well with the rest of the yard. I went to my favorite nursery, Green Thumbs, in Los Gatos and picked up several types of spring vegetable seeds. Having about an hour of good daylight left, I went ahead and planted some Honey Gold Sunflowers and California Poppies. Yes, I know these aren't vegetables, but they will be part of the border and filler while the veggies are getting big and glorious.

The Suburban Foodie's Spring Vegetable Garden

Gold, White, and Purple Beets
Radicchio Lettuce
Butterleaf Lettuce
Spring Mix Lettuce
Heirloom Carrots (white, purple, orange)
Edamame
Blue Lake Green Beans
Leeks
Red Onions
Purple, White, and Green Cauliflower
Broccoli Raab
Basil
Parsley
Cilantro
Oregano
Coriander
Thyme
Sweet Peas
Sunflowers
Nasturtiums
California Poppies