Excavation

I think I might have gone a little overboard in my vegetable adventure. I've never had a garden before, except for when my mom planted tomatoes and string beans when I was about 8. I thought you just stuck the seed in the ground and the next day you picked off some vegetables.

Apparently you have to plan out everything. eve-ry-thing. I chose to plant Cucumbers, Cantaloupes, Carrots, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Corn, and mini Pumpkins.

They all need varying amounts of light and water, so they couldn't all be put in the same spot. The tomatoes and green beans are going to go in big planters with some pretty trellises I picked out. Corn and carrots are going to go on the side of the deck, and cucumbers and cantaloupes, with a couple of left over tomato and green bean plants are going to go in the huge box on top of my deck. The cantaloupes and cucumbers need to be planted in huge hills, and then when they get to be a certain height, they have to be transplanted to be twice as far apart. Tomatoes like the most water so I put them on the side of the box that has a little more peat moss.

I had to empty out the planters, which weighed about 70 pounds a piece, and also had to shovel out the boxes which are about 7 feet long by 4 feet wide and about 6 inches deep. I then had to add a mix of peat moss and soil to all of them. I think I have permanent back damage from it. I was cursing myself the whole time I was doing it, but I know the hard part is over.

Luckily, everything gets planted at different times so I don't think I'm going to be up to my ears in vegetables like I first thought.

Here's a link to the photo album on Facebook; I'm starting out with weekly pictures, but once the plants get bigger I'm going to extend it to two weeks.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2158948&id=24208755

Tomatoes got started 2+ weeks ago indoors. Cantaloupes and cucumbers just about a week ago. The tomato plants are only about 4 inches tall but already smell like tomatoes. Cantaloupes haven't sprouted yet but cucumbers sprouted and grew about 6+ inches in 4 days.