Sprouting Dreams

I have heard that if you have a garden and a library, then you have all you need. We have been working on our library for many years now and decided it was time to work on a garden.


When we bought the house, we thought the mildly frighting, weed infested, abandoned dirt lot that was our side yard would be a perfect spot. (We dream big.)


A few weeks ago, through the edible landscape project and with help from volunteers of the Desert Botanical Garden, we were able to get two truck loads of free dirt that took the side yard from scary to usable.


We're starting small with a couple of raised beds. We planted warm weather crops that like the Arizona sun - peppers, jalapeños, corn, pumpkins, and cucumbers along with herbs like basil, oregano and mint. I'm following the square foot garden method. It's easy for me to understand since I'm a beginner gardener.

I love the little garden. It is my therapy. I enjoy waking up a little extra early to go out and water the plants. The mornings are still cool, the birds are chirping, and I love the smell of the soil. I also love that it is a family thing. Ed is keeping an eye on the plants because he knows I do not have a green thumb and could use some extra help. Owen likes the dirt and checks to see if the vegetables have come yet. He had requested the pumpkins so he's excited for those.

My friend Scott has an incredible backyard garden and he is my inspiration. It's taken him ten years to get where he is and he just expanded a little bit more year after year. That is what I hope to do. Gotta keep dreaming big.