Vegetable Nerd

It is now April. I have started with the drip system. It's a little bit like playing with Legos but with more cursing.

Everything is looking gorgeous and healthy. Honestly, beyond my wildest dream.  My husband is not surprised; he's had gardens before. But I'm a vegetable garden virgin. Everything knocks my socks off.



Did you know that Eggplants do not go on trees? Yeah, neither did I.



Radishes and beets get their close up.



Everything is humming along. Also, starting to spread dangerously.



Oh, and we have grapes now. An ugly part of the hill is now home to 2 grape plants that we planted the year before and that had sputtered and looked dead until now!



I have become the kind of person who takes close up boudoir-style shots of her vegetable seedlings.

Provence Meets Mid-Century Ranch Style

I have not shown you the front yard yet. I love it. It's Provence meets Los Angeles. Or at least that's the idea I was trying to achieve.

Although it pains me to put ugly things on this blog, this was the before:

1959 ranch style architecture.  Designed by Charles Dubois

If you are curious about Mid-Century, Ranch-Style California architecture, here is what the Los Angeles Conservancy has to say about my neighborhood: "It is a wonderfully intact neighborhood that effortlessly conveys its postwar suburban feel into the present day."

Yes, but an acquired tasted. We bought it before we knew it was fashionable.

I could not WAIT to smother this effortless postwar gem with plants.

Vegetable Garden: Lessons and Revelations

Although we still don't know if the plan works and if we'll end up with a harvest of any kind, my husband and I found ourselves constantly in the garden. The backyard was a lawn; it was mostly used as a latrine for the dog.  The kids were too old to play outside. Essentially the backyard was unused and a drain on resources. We used too much water and paid a disgruntled gardener to mow.  Once a week, I would come in with a bag and shovel and pick up dog poop before he could mow.  So yes, it was not fun.

Now it is FUN with capital letters.

Experimenting with mulch. I'm using oak leaves from the backyard.

First tomato ever! First of MANY

First strawberries. They will eventually cover the entire beds.

Every morning, the first thing we do is go around the yard and admire our new children. They are cute! My husband is always puttering in it, thinning carrots or adding support for peas or tomatoes. We start noticing birds and bees. Were they there before but we did not know because we hardly went outside? Or are they attracted to the garden now?