It's been a long time.

We have had some pretty major health issues over here at Our Little Garden and thus our blog has suffered. Our garden is still going strong and you can find us on Facebook at Our little Garden and on our individual Instagram accounts, @mldebellis and @annjidebellis. Please send your prayers and healing thoughts our way. 

Garden Therapy

Gardening is a tool we can use to bring balance to our life and those we love.  It's easy, anyone can do it, it is fairly inexpensive.   Many of us live busy lives and often feel overwhelmed by the chores and daily tasks of our day. So who has time for gardening??? You do!!! Even if you set aside 10 mins a day to plant, water, sit and just gaze on the beauty of what God created, you would be surprised at how much you could get out of it. I'm not saying it will be easy, but I guarantee that you will be more grounded and appreciative of life and all its wonders.

Our garden has been through quite a transformation in the last year plus.  Our first crop were all seedlings we bought a local home store.  Our soil had been sitting waiting to be used for over 15 years.  The only plants growing were weeds.  Our soil was calling our name.  This year with our health, the foods we eat, and our garden have all kicked it up a notch.  Please enjoy the images of our garden from our humble beginnings to the present.

This was our first Spring layout.   Tomatoes and assorted lettuces as well as bush beans.

We have since added wings and bed all around.  This bed is now our sons plot.  He loves it and can easily name many of the plants in our garden.  This bed had cucumbers that lead to so many cucumbers.  Cucumbers are so easy to plant and harvest.

Herbs, leafy greens, and peppers were the first crops in these two beds.  These beds have since been transformed into onions and our soon to be introduced edible flowers.  So exciting!

A lot of time and time and love is shaping Our Little Garden.

Greenhouse and seeds... getting ready for Spring!

Sorry for the long delay between posts.  Life and Christmas consumed Our Little Garden and our crazy lives.  There is so much that has been going on too!  So here is a brief summary to kick off one of our last posts of the year.

As I type we are planning our seed list for our Spring crop.  Just last week my hubby and 'head gardener' got an early Christmas present, a greenhouse!  We have used seeds and seedlings in past crops but this greenhouse will open new opportunities for us in the coming Spring.

The greenhouse we purchased through the home improvement store Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ft-x-8-ft-greenhouse-47712.html

Approximately 1/3 of our yard contains our garden and this 6'x8' greenhouse is perfect for us.

It is very important for us to start our crops from seedling as finding certified organic plants for the garden are not a guaranteed find.  We love shopping at Armstrong Gardens Center and in the Spring and summer you can find organic plants and seeds at Lowes and Home Depot but not in every variety.  This is going to help us maintain our garden as non-GMO and organic from seed to table.

The catalog we use for ordering seeds is the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.  http://www.southernexposure.com/

So much information it can be overwhelming.  But we are so excited for this next step in our garden.  We will update you with our seed orders and info ASAP. 

The Development of the First Community Gardens

Did you know that during World War II 40% of all vegetable produced in the US were from backyard and community gardens? Coined 'Victory Gardens' the American people were encouraged to plant their own gardens to produced an un-rationed source of food.  An unfortunate cause of the reduction in food was from the internment of Japanese Americans, who at the time produced nearly half of all produce in the US.   This caused food shortages and the government to encourage the American people to plant gardens of their own.  People were allowed to plant in open lots, rooftops and even public parks in some cases.

A resurgence has also occurred in our times toward the benefit on having your own garden and communities that include cities and churches have accommodated these interests.  In my own city a very beautiful community garden has been erected in an area where only green grass had grown prior.  The Memorial Park Community Garden was opened in 2011 and is located at the Memorial Park North Recreation Center at 340 N. Orange Place, "featur[ing] forty plots available to the community, either as individuals or as an organization. The cost of each 4’ x 10’ plot is $30.00 annually + a $20.00 initial deposit. (Applications are accepted at the Administrative Offices at Memorial Park, 320 N. Orange Place in Azusa.  For further information, please call (626) 812-5280.)

Kids & Gardening

One thing I discovered at a very young age was that gardening was fun!  My dad had a large plot for gardening, and it would always be full of plants.  I remember when my dad let me plant some of the vegetables in the garden, it was pretty exciting. Now as a parent im doing the same with my son, and he definitely enjoys himself.  If your planning on introducing your kids to gardening make sure you keep it short and sweet.  Depending on their attention span you could elaborate on why you add compost or why centain plants need more sun than others for example.  Be sure to walk them through step by step by keeping it simple and easy to remember.  Teaching your kids how to garden is one way for them to appreciate what they eat, especially their veggies.~ mike

Early Fall Crop

            This is the first year I have planted a fall garden. I must say that I was a little intimidated by cold mornings and cold weather crops.  But, I attempted it this year with broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, kale, carrots, onion, and radishes. I started small but ended up with quite an array of plantings, some from seed and others as seedlings.  What ever you decide to do with "your space" make the most of it.  I would strongly suggest buying a Farmers Almanac, it tells you exactly when to plant according to the lunar cycle. ~mike