Garden Goodies

Since we moved to Grand Junction two years ago, I have missed my garden boxes! I seriously considered bringing them with us, but rationalized there was no where to put them on our rental property. And so I have continued to make excuses for three planting seasons. Last year I attempted garden pots and hooked up a small drip system to our sprinkler lines. I think I may have gotten three tomatoes. :( Definitely not worth the effort.

So, this year I gave a considerable amount of thought to ripping up grass, installing sprinkler lines, and building boxes complete with the perfect blend of garden soil. Our landlord gave us permission, knowing we have taken care of the property, installed a fence to match the existing look, and trusts we would do a good job.

About the same time I had been mulling over my garden dilemma, my aunt proposed another solution at her house that appeared easier...simpler...less work. :) Hmmmmmmm. Let me think. Four little ones and I'm pregnant. Tempting. There was the drawback of the garden being offsite and less convenient at meal time, but still, the offer was appealing.

Sadly, last fall when the irrigation pond in our aunt and uncle's housing development was reaching the tail end of watering season, it's output was too much for the surrounding ground table and a leak that had probably existed for quite some time intensified and "broke" Jared and Janet's pool. I think the pool is fiberglass, but whatever the material, it bowed and busted, creating a giant crack and hole in the bottom of the pool. Engineering reports have confirmed that the pond was the cause, yet no one wants to pay up. Imagine that.


Anyway, we all cried. The pool was going to be my sanity outlet for the summer and my kid's fun. (Selfish I know...it's not my pool or house that is ruined!) The saturated ground couldn't take any more and the damage extended from the pool to the house. Cracked travertine, busted door jams, fractures throughout the rooms, ceilings, and floors of the home. It is truly is devastating. We fondly call it the "crack" house.

But alas, there is a silver lining. :) Janet offered her flower beds above the giant blue hole in the ground as a garden plot. The sprinkler lines were already in, just drop in seeds and watch the vegetables grow. I should have known that solution seemed too simple, but I was still willing to put in the work to reap the rewards.

So in May, amongst everything else I had going on, I spent two weeks putting in a garden. There was insufficient water coverage, electrical lines with lights to showcase the dead pine trees, and rocky soil. After digging up the trees and all the lines, "fixing" the drip line/sprinklers, and fertilizing, we were ready to plant - in one "bed." I cursed myself several times for getting in over my head...AGAIN! Although the kids had fun catching frogs, riding their scooters, and jumping on the make-shift trampoline (bowed pool floor), that only lasted so long. If Jake wasn't sleeping in the port-a-crib in the closet, I was worried he would fall in the vacant pool.


After the one side was finally ready and I was dreading the other, I had a kind home teacher (male member of our ward at church assigned to watch over our family) come and rotatill the second bed, saving me days of work and labor on my exhausted baby body. (Don't ask me where Brandon was...oh wait, I remember...FISHING and then EYE SURGERY and he couldn't get wind or dirt in his eye.) After planting and discovering I still did not have good enough water coverage or supply, we hand watered for two weeks before leaving on vacation. The landscape people were suppose to fix the problem, and I crossed my fingers as we went out of town for a few weeks in June.

When we returned, I was disappointed to find the side of the garden that I had jam packed with produce failed to produce!!! The carrots never came up, there were only a few radishes and a handful of onions out of seven rows. At least four zucchini plants and two yellow squash plants looked like they were going to make it. But that was out of four rows of squash!

The other side seemed to be doing much better. I don't know the difference, but we harvested spinach and beets and crossed our fingers for the cucumbers, watermelons, and pumpkins. Janet planted some lettuce, carrots and herbs that seemed to be doing well. And along the back wall we put in some tomato plants, peppers, and a few artichoke plants for fun. (Keep in mind, Janet spends most of her time in California, so she gets to enjoy the garden less than I do!)

All of this complaining is to proudly show off where the garden is now!!! When we first were planting, we had a family home evening lesson teaching the kids about the importance of learning to be self-reliant and providing for our family by our own efforts. Really, that's one of the main reasons we were planting a garden in the first place. We could teach the kids to work and toil and reap the benefits by the sweat of their brow. So I should not have been so drawn into "easier...simpler...less work" when I know better. Granted, the kids mostly watch me work and weed, but they are happy to pick the vegetables and put them in the basket. Reminds me of the story, "The Little Red Hen."

Well, after we returned from our travels in July, the garden had taken off! And by taken off, I mean the pumpkin patch has overgrown everything else in sight!!! The vines have made their way into the pool and we expect to have a good crop come late fall!!!


Even the watermelons are doing well. They have grown over the successful lettuce and carrot bed, which is not good for our salads! Those plants no longer see the sun!


In the end, I'm happy with the results! Thanks Uncle Jared and Aunt Janet for letting us making the best of your misfortune. (I guess hard work does pay off. Need I mention we prayed for our garden also...especially when we thought it was going to fail.) We have plenty of zucchinni and cucumbers to share. Beets to pickle, peppers galore, and lettuce to admire. (The lettuce has gone a little bitter with our lack of attention.) We only make it over there about once a week, but that's good enough to get every one excited when they find a vegetable that's big enough to pick. Here's the first harvest we found when we returned from our July sebatical. (Take that Bountiful Baskets!!!)


Of course, when we go over to the garden, the kid's favorite past-time is still frog hunting...or is that a toad?