I planted six blueberry bushes and several strawberry plants last spring, when I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to grow or where I wanted to grow it.  But knowing that both usually take a few years to establish themselves, I wanted to get them in the ground as soon as I could.  I didn’t take care of the plants though … weeds grew up around them so high that I wasn’t even sure I had blueberry bushes or strawberry plants anymore!  But when I recently weeded the area that I haphazardly chose last year, I found all the plants still alive!  Somehow I managed to amend the terribly rocky soil just enough to not kill them, despite me doing nothing else all last year (including not even watering them).

That, along with a long talk with my uncle (my Daddy’s older brother), gave me the positive reinforcement I needed to try growing a few more plants this year.  After weeding around the blueberry bushes and strawberry plants, and adding to the soil, I planted 5 raspberry roots and 25 Mary Washington asparagus crowns a few weeks ago.  They both require a couple years to get going also, so I was purely delighted this morning when I found asparagus shooting up everywhere!  Some are rather thin and probably won’t be all that tasty just yet, but I am so tickled that I did something right enough to get them growing!

Believe it or not, a few of the blueberry bushes now have tiny baby blueberries growing on them!  And the strawberry plants are also starting to flower as they really begin to spread out!  I allowed a generous area for them to grow, especially because I’ve heard they have a tendency to take over.  The kids are so looking forward to tasting juicy strawberry treats from “the patch” this summer!

I am also going to try growing carrots, peppers, tomatoes, patty pans, butternut squash, watermelons, corn, and several varieties of pumpkins, including heirloom red warty, this year.  Our three apple trees are thriving, now that warmer weather has finally arrived.  They have leaves all over and look so healthy, which is a relief after them looking like sticks all through the fall and winter!  We still have several years before they start producing for us, but watching the ground come alive leaves me simply in awe of God’s creation!