When the warm weather started to roll around last year, gas prices were rising so fast that they kept me up at night. I worried that the high fuel costs would translate to crisis for food costs and other expenses. That got me thinking about growing our own food in our backyard as a way to control costs. So, after learning about gardening in raised beds, I decided to do that — I mean, build some — in my backyard.

Oh, I had some seriously huge plans for the raised garden beds in our backyard. I envisioned tall tomato plants, leaning on posts to support the massive weight of their fruits and lush basil plants to season pretty much everything I cooked. Oh, it was going to be grand.

Unfortunately, after building the four raised beds and burying three of them, time got away from us. The boxes were never lined or filled with soil. The project sat there in the rear of our yard … abandoned.

Yes, it was quite pretty. Really.

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The price of baby food – the organic, affordable food that Paige eats – jumped 10 cents. Sugar has more than doubled in price for our small town. Gas is teetering on $4 a gallon. I talked about my fears last week . . . and they only seem to intensify as the days pass. Food is getting more expensive. Fuel is getting more expensive too. It’s frightening.

But this week, I want to get beyond the fear to the solutions.

This year, we will begin growing our own food. I’ve tried in the past without success, but after three years of experimenting, I think I am ready to really settle in and make it work. And for the first time, my husband believes that we need to as well.

We’re not alone in this quest. Urban farming is taking cities by storm. In New York, it’s caught the attention of the New York Times. It’s time that suburban farming made its comeback too. Connecticut used to be a mecca of farmland. These days, the houses still sit on two and three acres in many areas, but those acres are perfectly manicured lawns and sparkling blue pools. The potential for people in Connecticut to take back the land for sustainable home farming is tremendous. And just imagine what benefits it would have on the environment if we all farmed just a little corner of our land . . . Read the rest of this entry…

See these irises? I don’t remember having them last year. I didn’t plant them. Yet suddenly they are all over my property (I am not complaining, just merely surprised). And you know what else? The strange “decorative grass” that my husband keeps trying to cut down beside my porch? Turns out it is another variety of iris, that’s near blooming. How strange is that? You would think that after three years of living here I would be used to the foliage on my property. But this has been a banner year for things blooming that haven’t in the past – like my tulips out front that bloomed for the first time this year after being planted three years ago. That being said, my lilacs had their shortest bloom in recent memory – less than a week.

Anyway, in my little garden plot (sorry, no pictures yet), I have been struggling with what to plant. At first I was thinking flowers and perhaps some compact bush-type things. After last year’s unmentionable catastrophe, I didn’t want to deal with food in the garden again.

But this past weekend, Will and I dropped by Shortt’s Farm and Garden Center (owned by my cousin and her husband) in Sandy Hook and the tomato plants just sounded so alluring that I ended up coming home with a pack of big boys, a pack of heirlooms and two packs of basil. Now I am thinking I might add some green beans and perhaps a few other herbs as well. Hopefully, with the right attention this year, I won’t repeat the mistakes of last year and the year prior (such as letting weeds get out of control. Eeeek.).

Eh, I’ll settle for just producing more than two edible tomatoes (with 12 tomato plants, I sure hope that’s the case). Ultimately, I would love to have enough tomatoes to dice, puree, crush and make into a puree – all for canning this year. We shall see.

Thanks everyone for all the well wishes. It was wonderful to feel all the support. I really appreciate it.
Since the weather has finally improved, Will and I have been spending a ton of time outside. There’s a yard to beautify, a garden to prepare for planting, flower pots to ready … The list goes on and on. Plus there are tons of fun things for an almost-two-year-old to get into.

I am not sure what plant in my garden this year. I am tempted to do primarily flowers with a bit of herbs. Or another option is to just do flowers at home and take advantage of the garden plots at work (no kidding) to grow some vegetables.

But if I do that, then my black thumb will REALLY be on display. And everyone will know that the magic I can do in the kitchen doesn’t carry into the garden . . . sigh. Can I make my vegetables grow in public without withering away? At least the plots are fenced in, so critters won’t be a problem.

What are you planting this year?