You Reap what you Sow

Memorial Day Weekend is traditional summer planting time here in Michigan.

Last weekend, Hubby and I visited the farmer's market to pick up some items. We didn't have to buy much because a few years ago, Hubby planted carefree rose bushes and rocked in around them, so no weeding, watering or tending.

For many years that little landscape bed by our back porch was our garden.

I had never grown a garden in my entire life.

I think my mother thought growing five kids was enough.

We never even planted flowers at our house. My dad and brothers grumpily cut the grass and Dad hacked down the bushes out front when we could no longer see out the windows.

So, I was thrilled when we had our own children and Hubby took our two and four year olds to pick out vegetables to grow.

I think I was more excited than the children.

Every morning I crawled next to the garden looking for signs of growth.

I was shaking like a leaf when I saw the first carrot sprout.

Here are the kids with the ONE carrot that actually grew into a carrot.

We shared it in a salad.

One day in late July, my husband heard loud screaming and rushed to the back yard to investigate.

He found the kids and me by the tomato plants.

"WHY are you screaming?"

"Look! Look," Lindsay pointed to a teensy tomato the size of a marble.

I was totally tantalized. Heck, I thought vegetables came from the grocery store.

At that moment, the toddler rushed over and grabbed the green ball off the stem.

We were numb with horror...he was so proud.

Before long, we were harvesting LOTS of plump, juicy tomatoes.

We should have let the toddler pick more green ones because we ended up with so many tomatoes, we couldn't give them away. 

I was so excited, I thought of opening a roadside vegetable stand, but our green peppers failed to thrive and we had already eaten the carrot.

In later years, we grew a variety of vegetables including sweet peas...

A BIG zuchini we left in the garden too long because

a little boy thought...the bigger the better...

And, a HAPPY sunflower that Lindsay chose to grow.

One year, we planted strawberries!

The garden provided wonderful memories and the opporunity to learn.

As the kids grew older they wailed about the weeding and watering and I was mighty weary, too.  It was a relief to rock it in with the rose bushes.

But this year, I told my husband I missed walking out my back door and picking tomatoes for dinner. I also wanted to grow some fresh herbs especially sweet basil.

The next day, I heard pounding in the kitchen and found this:

The sweetest and cutest husband in the world bought me a special planter.

He put it out in the garden...

And, we planted tomatoes growing DOWN.

No weeding or slugs eating them for lunch.

(Has anyone ever grown them like this? Does it work???)

On top, we planted herbs.

I chose rosemary, cilantro, chives and LOTS of sweet basil!

Probably too much basil, but I was SO excited!

Now, I love looking out the kitchen window at our beautiful new garden!

Best of all...

VERY LITTLE MAINTENANCE!

I'll let you know how the upside down tomatoes do as the summer progresses.

I wonder what else I can grow upside down???

Actually, don't plant any more ideas in my brain!