I was flipping through the March issue of Sunset Magazine and came across this great garden design plan. I think I am going to use this as my inspiration for my revamped veggie garden this year. I love the idea of using half moon shapes instead of rectangular beds. I also really like the texture of the rock vs. using wooden boards as I've done in the past. There is also some great info on raised bed gardening on the Sunset website .

Protecting Seeds

This is an interesting article about the new seed bank in the Arctic. Here's hoping that we never have such a huge disaster that we need to use it.....

Doomsday’ seed vault opens in Arctic
Frozen ‘Garden of Eden’ secures biological diversity for future generations
By Doug Mellgren
LONGYEARBYEN, Norway - A "doomsday" seed vault built to protect millions of food crops from climate change, wars and natural disasters opened Tuesday deep within an Arctic mountain in the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.
"The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is our insurance policy," Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told delegates at the opening ceremony. "It is the Noah's Ark for securing biological diversity for future generations."....read more

Weekend Work

It was pouring down rain most of the weekend so I decided to do some crafting. Last year I had issues with my vegetable markers disappearing under the plants mid way through the growing season. I wanted to make some new markers that would last for many years. Mark and I went down to the hardware store and picked up some plywood. He cut it into 6" x 12 " pieces and I painted away on Sunday. They took a bit longer to do than I expected. The goal is to attach them to 3ft high garden stakes so they are easy to spot.

The Growing Challenge

I have decided to sign up for The Growing Challenge. I will be spicing up the garden this year with some new items that I've never grown before and some new varieties of my old favorites. This week I am planting some horseradish. The kid at the nursery told me that it will take over and suggested that I plant it in a pot. I love the internet! Found some cool info on growing and using it. http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/champaign/homeowners/001106.html

Spring Fever

What a great weekend for planting. The weather was great and I was able to get so much done!!

Here's what I've been up to....

I did a little seedling shopping.

Bosley the wonder dog inspects the cleared out beds...All set for planting.

Beets, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Lettuce, Kale, Chard, Asparagus, Collard Greens, Rhubarb, Horse Radish, Potatoes...grow, grow, grow!!!!

100 Foot Dinner #1

These Potimarron squash were a delight to grow last year. I've saved some seeds so I can plant them again. They were prolific...I must have 20 of them left in storage.

Home grown winter squash (Potimarron) roasted with rosemary and local grown olive oil. It's the best I could come up with tonight. Next, I think I might try pumpkin soup. I'm so glad that I grew winter squash last year and that I still have plenty to last a few weeks until my lettuce, kale and other veggies get bigger. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to grow my own food, and to have the resources to feed my family. I am so sad when I read articles about people who have to go without food, or have to resort to eating dirt like the previous post. I wish I could do more to help feed the worlds hungry.