By: Alex Mackay, Social Media Intern
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the fruits of your labor, or in my case, the plants of my garden. The idea of going to my yard and just picking the ingredients for my dinner has always been a goal of mine, and only recently have I been able to achieve this. It started when I was looking out at my deck and realized that it was the perfect environment to grow simple plants like tomatoes and peppers. With the right amount of sun and lots of space safe from animals that would eat them, I got to work creating the beds for my new plant friends. I began in March by growing them indoors in small planters so that I could control the humidity and keep them out of the cold. This allowed me to keep the 10 tomato and 10 bell pepper plants alive while I waited for more ideal conditions outside, where they would eventually be moved.
It wasn’t until mid-April that the sprouts, which had grown from seeds, were moved to my newly created outdoor beds. These beds were raised to keep them safer from animals and were also placed in an area where they would get sun for the majority of the day. Also, they would be open to any rainfall during the next few months of their growing season. After I transferred them into these new beds, I began to nurture them as I watched them grow more and more each week of the summer months. On the days that we wouldn’t get rain, I would go out there and make sure they were watered and not burning too much from the hot sun. I would also add a cage around the tomato plants that the plants could use to climb on and support themselves. Carefully helping them grow as I waited for them to begin to grow tomatoes and peppers.
While I was tempted many times throughout these months to pick the small tomatoes I saw on the vines, or the mini peppers growing across from them, I knew I had to be patient and let them grow. It wasn’t until mid-August that I was finally able to begin harvesting my plants and savor the reward of my work. From nice juicy tomatoes to crispy bell peppers, I was able to get enough food that would last me several weeks. While this may not seem like a lot, I will not only continue to get more produce from these plants in the next few months, which will allow me to rely less on the grocery store and more on my own hard work, but I will also be able to grow them again and again each year. Especially tomatoes, they are one of those plants that, if taken care of, the tomatoes that fall will regrow the following year.
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