Garden Your Heart Out!

One of my FAVORITE things about spring is starting my garden. Over the past month or two, my housemates and I have begun to get our summer garden going. We live in an end-of-the-row house in West Philly, so while we don't have a huge yard, we're fortunate enough to have a decent amount of workable land in the back and front.

Two summers ago we decided that our front "lawn" could and should be sacrificed for the sake of more planting space. Our landlord didn't seem to be bothered (or notice) so this spring we did a bit more garden-friendly landscaping to add to the potential. Last Monday, my sister came over and we spent the afternoon transplanting seedlings, building a big raised bed, and starting a few late batches of veggie seeds. This morning when I went out to check on the seedlings, I found that yet again, one of our fat neighborhood squirrels got overly excited and dug around in about 6 or 7 pots looking for the recently planted seeds. Come on! They really are chubby, and I know there's no need to store that fat for the summer. They already go through our trash cans and compost heap as it is.

Anyways, today when I get home I'm going to start a few last batches of seeds and I'm going to think of ways to squirrel-proof our garden. If you're in need of veggies, herbs, butterfly-watching, or simple garden gazing, you're welcome to swing by our house. Just try to identify yourself as a friend so we don't think you're a green tomato-stealer (like our block captain, who was caught in our front yard with a flashlight at night stealing our green tomatoes for her own frying purposes last summer). I doubt we'll grow enough of any herb to provide for a pan of gelato or sorbetto at 13th street, but if we do, I'll let you know. In the mean time, the awesome folks at Green Meadow Farm, West Philadelphia High, Mill Creek Farm... the list goes on... grow some of the delicious herbs - among other things - that will make frequent appearances in our summer flavors :)