Our “Chique” Urban Garden Update

Some of you may remember from this post here that we decided back in May to attempt to grow a miniature garden and plant some of our favorite herbs & vegetables. I wanted to give the boys an opportunity to get their hands dirty, nurture a seed to plant, eat a homegrown tomato and cut fresh herbs for the dinner table. Now, that it is nearly the first day of summer, our urban garden is in full bloom!

I can still remember like it was yesterday, when we were little, spending our summers up north in Caseville, MI at our family cottage. No phones, no TV and obviously no Internet. Just good old fashion fun in the water and sand. Playing board games, running around outside and most particularly, heading off on the path to the raspberry bushes. Heidi and I would literally take a little basket to pick the berries for my mom, but ended up eating most of them before we arrived home. There is nothing better than fresh fruit right off the vine, right?

I think next year we may give raspberries a go, but this year my chose strawberries and tomatoes. My motivation was two fold. One, there is nothing better than a home grown tomato and secondly, my boys love pasta sauce, pizza, ketchup and such, but claim not to like tomatoes. I have to agree with them on some level. Hot house tomatoes just don’t taste like the real deal. So, we now have two gigantic cherry tomato plants and one plum tomato plant flourishing on a tiny patch of land adjacent to our fence. It is truly unbelievable how many dozens of little green tomatoes are growing from the buds of what were just tiny yellow flowers. The boys have been watering and caring for our little “Urban” garden for the past six weeks.

Unfortunately, last year we planted Parker’s corn, but missed the harvest so we gave it another shot this year. We now have 6 tall stalks starting to bloom! Can’t wait. We picked about a dozen little strawberries back in May, but haven’t had much luck with more. Not sure if it is the weather or just our luck. Any advice? As for the herbs, they are extremely healthy and happy. Loving the fact that the cilantro is at arms length, since my staples these days are guacamole and mango salsa. I can’t until we can pick our own tomatoes and fresh basil for a Caprese salad, mind you the fresh Mozzarella will have to come from Whole Foods, but two out of three isn’t bad, right?

Luckily and for some strange reason, we don’t have a ton of squirrels here like we had at our old house, so all of our plants and herbs have been left alone from the critters. I have caught the dogs sniffing and lifting legs near by, but a forceful “NO” has scared them away. Now, they know the “Chique” Urban Garden is off limits! Have you had any luck with gardening? Would love your advice or help. Happy Summer and until next time, stay “Chique”.