We have a yard at our new house. I love it. It’s my flavor-favorite thing about the house. Because our home was a foreclosure with 20 people living in it before us (prison ankle bracelets involved) the yard was in various states of disrepair. Every weekend we remove a bush or move a plant. And sometimes we just like to break sprinkler pipes and spend the rest of the day googling how-to videos about plumbing. We are cool like that.

It’s my dream to have a fruit and veggie garden in our side yard. I had no idea where to begin, then I went to this amazing garden class at Greenleaf Chopshop hosted by Harvest to Home! Greenleaf held the classes on Saturday mornings at 10am through the Summer. I really hope they do more classes. I think this would be a great activity for moms groups through the year as well (call them)! I took Eli for some mommy time and to help foster his gardening dream. The class was great! The teacher/owner Mike Saralyian, really got the kids involved by touching and tasting all the different herbs and veggies.

We did a tour and hands-on lesson in the Harvest to Home garden. Then the kiddos got to plant their own herb. I think we got basil (can anyone tell me for sure?) and it has grown so well (see the pic below right before I trimmed it for some pasta I made). I really think the plant has thrived because of the self watering pot we got at the class. It has a spout at the bottom and that you fill with water and it gets right to the plant roots and the soil is covered with coconut husk chunks that keep in the moisture.

Harvest to Home is a pretty unique gardening service. They come to your home to set up your own home garden! They do all the hard stuff and then you get the benefit of an organic grocery store in your yard. I would love love love to do this someday when the budget allows. Check out these videos about how it all works.

Here are a few beginning gardening tips I filmed with Mike about doing a Summer garden (I know I’m late for summer… just pin it in your memory bank for next year).

P.S.
I really loved the décor at Greenleaf Chopshop. I was trying to figure out a way to smuggle out this giant mirror and barrel planter. I’m thinking something Lucy and Ethel-ish… who wants to dress up in “exterminator” disguises and help me load these puppies into the back of my minivan????
Seriously.

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