One of my favorite places to be this summer was sitting in the garden in the late afternoon listening to the kids play and enjoying the surroundings.  It’s funny, when we were getting ready to build our fence we realized that our garden area is actually bigger than the square footage of our house (which obviously isn’t all that big).  The fence is wooden posts, with wire pulled around and sticks and twigs interwoven to make it see through yet private.
This year we have successfully grown lettuce, tomatoes (my favorite), green beans, strawberries, raspberries, zucchini, carrots, tomatillos, artichokes and the winter garden is planted with broccoli, spinach, lettuce, carrots, peas and kale.
It’s fun that the boys want to help out and are excited to go out and pick what’s ready.  They are learning how different fresh foods taste from the foods we get at the store.  There’s really nothing quite like it.
I feel so grateful they can learn about the work it takes to create and tend to a garden and also the rewards you get from fresh produce.
Here are some pictures from my little slice of paradise.

the cutting garden – which I never could cut from because I love how they look

Playing in the birdbath

Maymay’s favorite – almost blooming and gorgeous

first year for artichokes – super cool plants

zucchini – a staple in every NW garden

Erin talking with the bedazzled gnomes

yum – tomatillos!

these are my absolute favorite tomatoes, they taste like candy

my beans have finally figured out how to climb the ladder!

Carlos’ garden still has pansies

this was taken earlier in the summer