beginner's luck

we decided that to have a true "ohio" experience, we need to grow something while we're here. our first attempt at a garden turned out pretty well. in february, we planted tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, habanero peppers, and jalapeno peppers and grew the plants inside until may.

in april, russell and calvin measured and tilled a great spot in the backyard. we planted local sweet corn, cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkins, cantaloupe, green beans, lettuce, carrots, onions, and strawberry plants.

we planted our tomatoes and peppers outside just after mother's day. these two pics are in early june.

here's a late june and mid-july shot:

this was just one day of picking cucumbers...we've had so many that i've given away probably 10 or so every week in addition to trying to use them!

here's a more recent shot...

i got the "prize-winning 100 lb pumpkin" seed packet (unknowingly, of course).

amazingly, everything has grown! our corn has been excellent and we were able to freeze some for later. the melons should be ready soon and we've actually been getting strawberries for a couple months. the peppers and tomatoes are just ripening and we're going to attempt some salsa-making and hope for beginner's luck there as well.

i decided that i really like gardening. it's a lot of work, but we've learned a lot and it's definitely rewarding. last night, we had corn, cantaloupe, strawberries, and tomatoes from our garden at dinner and we felt so self-sufficient! anyway, we're already planning some revisions for next year (lots fewer cucumbers!), so let's hope our luck holds out.