What? Are you feeling confused by the title of this post? I like to have a garden, I like to be in my garden but mostly I love to reap the benefits of having a garden. All of these being said, I am hardly great at it. I intend to be better this year. Create more food and maybe even feel a little savvy when it comes to planting and growing things in my own backyard? Time will tell but I have scoured some local places for details on how to grow a vegetable garden and how to do it well. Ready. Set.Grow!!!
I found a great website with listings of all local (or most of) the local nurseries. Click here for Sacramento Gardening’s list of Nurseries and other helpful info. There are so many places in the great Sacramento area. It’s been awhile since I have visited nurseries. We tend to buy plants and flowers from Home Depot and Lowe’s but I’d like to shop the local nurseries this year. That being said, I had a nice chat a few weeks back with someone {I have forgotten her name and I feel guilty for that cause she was so nice and helpful!} at Green Valley Nursery here in El Dorado Hills. I have decided to buy all of my plants and fertilizer from them this year. I like that they grow their veggie plants from seed and it is already acclimated to our climate. Lifetime Master Gardener Fred Hoffman, respectably known as Farmer Fred, is coming to Green Valley Nursery & Landscape on Saturday, May 14th from 12pm-2pm. Might be a great time to stop in and ask questions. Wish I was going to be in town for this event — darn it!
So a few tips I have picked up along the way: test your soil, till your soil, plant at the right time (Mother’s Day is usually the marker where we are beyond the last frost) and make sure your plants and seeds are getting the right amount of sunshine and water.
Wanna see where my garden is going?? Right here ~ where my kids are currently playing with dump trucks.
Isn’t it lovely?? 
I assure you — last year we got some good stuff from this lil’ plot of land. This year I hope to get more! I had plans of getting it all ready and planted on Mother’s Day but that turned out to be a cold and breezy day. I am now shooting for this Thursday or Friday, Fingers crossed! We are having some very confusing weather right now. Hot/cold, rainy/sunny ~ I can barely keep up!
Oh, my tip on tomatoes? Try and give them there own space. They seem to take up a lot of room. We are putting ours in old wine barrels this year which we managed to get for free. Woot woot! You are supposed to change the location of your tomatoes year to year and also change the soil. Ever seen or heard of a horn worm? They are fat, green little suckers that will ruin your tomatoes! If you notice that your tomatoes are half eaten, start the search. You have to hand pick these nasty little critters out of the garden and then get rid of them. Click here for photos and more details.
Do you usually plant a garden? What are your favorite things to grow? I love tomatoes and herbs the most. I am hoping to get some pumpkins out of our garden this year as well. I want to make planting and tending to the garden a family affair. I want everyone to feel like they are a part of growing the food that ends up on our table. I even found some Disney Cars seeds at Home Depot yesterday {snap peas and pumpkins} to entice my youngest. He loves Disney Cars but not veggies — hey, if it works! 
Happy gardening to you!
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