Our Vegetable Garden

This year, we planted our garden a little late. Because of that,

some vegetables are only just starting to come in!

In Kentucky, this summer has been unusually hot and dry. Without very much rain, I have had to water the garden to keep everything alive. Unfortunately, due partially to the weather, but also to some bad seed, we aren't going to harvest much corn at all. The deer have also been a force to contend with. They were enjoying snacking on my green beans, but covering the plants up with some chicken wire quickly solved the problem. Now the plants are thriving again!

In addition, this has been the best year for growing potatoes that we have ever had! The plants were so large and healthy, without any bugs! As soon as we determine what to do with the potatoes, we will begin the harvesting process. I can't wait to see how many potatoes we have, and how big they will be!

Tomatoes are also about to come in buckets. The plants are absolutely loaded! Once they do, I will begin canning them and making tomato sauce. We have thoroughly enjoyed the tomato sauce that I made last year. I used it when making spaghetti, or lasagna and it sure does taste good!

As shown in the pictures, we plant sunflowers in our vegetable garden. The girls are the ones who especially like them. Sunflowers are bright, cheerful, and look great in a vase. They brighten up the garden and make for a very pretty sight from the road, or from the front porch.

All of the kids help in the garden. They help with the weeding, the harvesting, and occasionally the watering. It does take some hard work and dedication to maintain a garden, but the rewards that you can reap are worth the sweat. I can't help but smile when I sit down to dinner and on the table are dishes made with vegetables we grew, and meat that we raised here on our farm. Homegrown food tastes so good and you can appreciate it so much more when you consider the work that you put in.

Whether you have a large garden, or a few pots that you have planted, it is worth the extra work!