The Fruits of Our Labor

Since Branyon and I have been married, we've always made an attempt to have a small garden. This will be our 3rd summer living at our current residence and each summer (and even one winter), we have carried on our garden tradition. However, since we've lived here, mother nature has not look favorably on us. We discovered after our first attempt that the ground here has to be worked and cultivated to the max. About six inches below the surface is solid clay, allowing the plants to only grow so big and never produce fruit.

Last year, we made sure to remedy this problem by bringing in dirt and using compost. I think we would have been successful if it would have rained and it wasn't the scorching heat we had. Even with the constant watering, our plants died pretty quickly.

With our past failures, I really considered not having a garden this year, but decided to give it one more shot. This year, we moved the garden's location, made sure the soil was completely worked, and limited the amount of plants. (We have been known to go overboard and try to cram in as many plants as possible.) We also planted all of our tomatoes in planters, allowing for more room in the garden. So far, it seems that these changes (along with the decent rainfall) have made this year's garden grow!

Jalapenos

Hot Banana Peppers

Eggplant Bloom

Cherry Tomatoes

Last night, we picked the first produce from the garden: banana peppers. Since Branna has helped out with the planting and watering, we let her do the honors.