Page 4 April 2015 My poor little veggie garden By Amanda Goossen This morning I walked outside to my tiny backyard garden. In two raised beds and two medium-size pots I’ve planted a meager variety. Thyme, rosemary, basil, a couple different types of peppers and two tomato plants fill the space. I water, pluck browning leaves and pretend I know what the heck I’m doing. But I don’t. I plant every year. And every year I have little success. Last year I went big time. I filled every inch of the soil with all the food I wanted to eat, all the ingredients that I knew I should grow for our nightly meals rather than purchasing at the supermarket. I was sick of buying clear plastic containers of basil and thyme for $3.99, only to use a few leaves and then watch the rest spoil before I could use it again. Plus, I wanted to witness robust rows of greens and harvest a bounty I could carry in an oversized basket with pride. Smiling wide as I fed my family organic produce I planted and tended to myself. Yes, I might be a bit delusional. I’m not a farmer. Far from it. And my garden is about 4 feet long by 2 feet wide. But hey, I’ve always been a bit eager and overly enthusiastic. In the spring of 2014 I spent hours tending my garden. I had one lucky round of lettuce and a spattering of successful herbs. I think there were even three tomatoes that did okay, although a pesky pigeon made a meal out of two of them before I could pluck them from the vine. This year, when I begged my husband to stop at the nursery between a laundry list of Saturday afternoon errands, he rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on,” I said. “The lettuce grew just fine last year.” I’m pretty sure I heard him laugh. But I’m not easily denied. We ended up at Singh Farms. (By the way, if you haven’t been there, go! What a spot!) We walked the lush path from the entrance to the space where plants are sold. My kids’ mouths hung open. “Mom, look at the lettuce,” said one. “MOM! Do you see how big that plant is? What is it?” said the other. I was growing annoyed. When we arrived at the plants, I started filling trays will every vegetable I could get my hands on. This was gonna be my year! My husband took one look at the trays. “Really?” he asked. “You need two of everything?” “Yep. I know I’ve finally figured it out. This year I’m going to get this garden to grow,” I said with totally false confidence. And I slowly looked at what was about to cost me a small fortune. I put back one of everything. And then a few others. And right before we paid, I decided maybe this year I’d go slowly. Perfect a couple things and then move on to more. Maybe buying more plants in the coming weeks would be a reward for not killing a hefty percentage of the veggies in my trays. I ended up planting seven plants. Three weeks later all are alive. However, I had a close call with the cherry tomato plant last week. Two weeks ago I signed up for a weekly vegetable delivery from a local farm. Fresh veggies delivered to Arcadia News each week. It’s a mystery bag of seasonal produce that not only supports local farmers, but also gets my family eating a healthier variety of foods. So, maybe I didn’t get my dream garden, but somehow this feels like I got everything I was truly hoping for, and more! To learn about the Gila Farm Cooperative or to sign up and pick up your weekly bag of veggies at Arcadia News, email Anna.Chotzen@Rescue.org, To read about the many people in our community with the green thumb I can only dream of possessing, continue exploring this month’s issue. It’s packed with outdoor fun! EDITOR’S NOTES 602-526-1213 Anna@AnnaMcDowell.com www.AnnaMcDowell.com ABR, CRS, GRI Providing Arcadia with professional & personalized service for over 20 years. Charming remodeled 5 bedroom, 6 bath 5300 s.f. Arcadia home available for lease. $7,500 per month. 602-526-1213 602-526-1213 personalized service for over 20 years. Gated Arcadia Estates 602-526-1213 Providing Arcadia with professional & personalized service for over 20 years. Providing Arcadia with professional & personalized service for over 20 years. Providing Arcadia with professional & 602-526-1213 personalized service for over 20 years. • Programs available for children ages 3 to 6. • No prior Spanish experience necessary. • Visit our website for registration information. Register before May 1, 2015

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