From garden to plate!

Though my thumb's pretty brown, I tried my hand at gardening this year, in a unique way. I've tried having veggie gardens before and I just don't keep up with the weeding and watering, but I read a magazine article about a salad table, and decided to try it. Basically, it's a raised bed with a mesh bottom that you place up on blocks or sawhorses, so it's easier to tend. I love it because the rabbits don't use it as their own personal salad bar.

Round one from my garden gave us some great salads. We had bok choy, green onions, spinach and Grand Rapids lettuce.

We've had a few failures, too. I had some beautiful heads of cauliflower that I should have cut before vacation, because when we got home, they were dead. The peas I planted took over in a tangled mess. I tried to plant too much on the table, so the carrots got choked out, and I had to scrap half of my brussels sprouts plants.

Round 2 has been planted, though. We have more lettuce and spinach coming up, as well as beets, carrots and a few green bean plants. We'll see what lives.

I also threw a couple cucumber plants along the fence and we've harvested 3 cukes so far. Mmmmm. Very sweet. I have some tomatoes and red bell peppers growing in pots on my deck and they seem to be doing OK too. There are three tomatoes that are about ready to pick, and then we'll have some fresh salsa.

It's been fun learning more about gardening and having fresh food on the table. Just yesterday, I had a big plate full of kale that I picked only minutes before. It was so delicious!

Gardening is definitely a trial-and-error kind of thing for me, but I plan to have a table garden (or two?) every year from now on.