A Manageable Veggie Garden

Today I thought I'd share a little project I worked on a few weeks ago.  Six weeks ago I guess, that's what my Instagram feed tells me. 

 

I decided I only wanted to plant a few veggies this year and I knew if I planted them right next to my workshop where I would walk buy them ten times a day I'd take better care of them.   I have a really nice garden area that my husband cleared for me a few years ago.  He put a fence around it, built a potting shed, and together we put built raised beds and filled them with dirt.  We had fun with it that first year.  We'd go visit it often, cocktail in hand, to see how things were growing.  The next year he lost interest.  I kept it going for a couple more years but then I realized I just cant take care of a big garden.  I start strong then fizzle out by mid summer.  Last year I only grew peas and tomatoes.     

For my new mini garden I decided to use one of those galvanized feed troughs they sell at the local farm supply.  It's about six feet long.  I drilled holes in the bottom and filled it with topsoil.  To jazz it up I added a little something to the side.

I made a stencil using my Silhouette and painted the words Fresh Produce on the side.

It fits perfectly on the side of the patio.  The patio and landscaping around my workshop are something I have been working on for the last couple Summers.  The patio has full sun all day, perfect for veggie growing.

I planted Lettuce and Cucumbers from seed and purchased a basil and two Sun Gold Tomato Plants.   Sun Golds are my favorite they are small cherry size tomatoes that are a dark orange when ripe.  Deliciously sweet.  As the cucumbers grow up both sides of the trellis they will shade the lettuce.  The trellis was made from a panel of galvanized welded wire mesh used in concrete work.  I bent it in half to form the trellis.  It's the same thing I used on the center of my DIY Trellis that sits on the other side of the patio.

I built the Trellis last year.  The Clematis I planted is doing well.   To the left in front of the old window I planted some Sugar Snap Peas.  They were doing fabulous but got too big for my support system and collapsed.  I tied them back up and they are still going but look a mess. I have harvested quite a bit, almost done though.  I also planted two zucchini plants in the flower bed that surrounds the front of the patio.  I cannot wait for this stuff to be ready to harvest.  

Well that's my little manageable garden.  I am loving it, it's just enough to keep me feeling productive without getting overwhelmed.  I think I just might grab a cocktail and drag the hubby out to see how things are growing ;).