Heaping Baskets

Three years ago, while working in the garden on a lovely March afternoon, my husband said to me, "I want HEAPING baskets of vegetables."

It seemed like a reasonable request and a easy goal. But that first year, we only procured a single basket of vegetables in the entire season. And it wasn't heaping!

Gardening is extremely hard work. It is tedious, strenuous, and constant. Every plant needs special treatment. Every season has its own set of chores. And every garden bed has its own pests.

It is not as simple as throwing some seeds on the soil and adding water. And it wasn't until after that first year that I realized how much I had to learn. Though my mother had always had a garden, and I knew more than the average person about gardening, if the goal was to actually feed ourselves and have "heaping baskets of vegetables," I had a lot of work to do.


Every year, I have grown more food than the last. In fact, last year I brought a few heaping baskets into the kitchen. This year I have been bringing a heaping basket or two into the kitchen every week! It is very rewarding. I will share some tips soon...