the state of the garden

This time last year, Graham started a new hobby--gardening.  His first plant of choice:  PUMPKINS! He did pretty good and we had a few nice little pumpkins around Halloween.   Throughout the fall, winter, and spring, we've been composting to prepare for his spring and summer garden.   In the early spring, he got serious and planted bell pepper, kale, and tomatoes...

"Daddy, take a picture of me smelling the pepper!"

Late spring/early summer, he planted corn and watermelon.  

Our salads have been so fresh and yummy...

The garden has had an abundance of kale and peppers.  The tomatoes are starting to come like crazy now.

When he started gardening, I promised him I'd learn to can his produce.  I never doubted that he'd have a successful garden, I just didn't expect it to yield enough worth canning.  I was wrong.  

I've canned my first very small batch of diced tomatoes...

I was nervous, but these little half-pints weren't too hard and I think I'll be excited and prepared when he brings in the next load of tomatoes!

He is harvesting more and more peppers, tomatoes, and kale each day.  I'm sure I'll be canning more in the coming days! **July 4th is the day to plant those pumpkin seeds!  Lots of gourds and pumpkins headed our way in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving!