Hey there friends! I am happy to jump in for the first time on @simplymike's Community Garden Journal Challenge. I love seeing what all the gardeners and homesteaders on the blockchain are up to, and we actually have the start of a spring garden in our backyard I can share with you all this year. To be fair every year for the past few years we have attempted a garden, but alas some years tend to be better than others. The weather was a bit out of sorts in 2018, so we really didn't get much from our garden.

This year @dksart worked hard on a big compost pile in the backyard to try to boost the nutrient content of the soil, and he re-aligned some of the garden beds to see if they would get better sun. We are hoping those few changes will help make a difference in what we can get growing this year! Despite the ups and downs in the veggie haul, we generally have no problem with herbs so let me show you what is starting to explode on that side of things.

First up--

Lemon Balm

This tends to grow like crazy (it is in the mint family after all), so I have learned to come up with plenty of ways to use it. Salad dressings, garnishes, infused water, tea, extract, and I even dried plenty of the leaves last year to use over the winter. We still end up with more than we can possibly consume, but it's a great one to have on hand!

Oregano

We've been growing this for years and it always seems to thrive, as well. I just used a big bunch of this in a pesto last night with garlic scapes from the farmers market (another seasonal delicacy).

Parsley

Parsley is one that can be hit or miss, but I'm glad it seems to be doing well right now! My boyfriend enjoys using it in just about everything. He's actually really great about going out to the garden and grabbing herbs whenever he wants them. We also have mint that is going crazy all over the place (probably need to cut it back before it takes over) and a bit of sage still.

As far as the main beds, nothing too exciting is going on just yet from far away...

But when you get closer you can see the radishes are growing by the day...

...and the beets are starting to pop up, as well.

We've also got seeds started for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and hopefully zucchini and eggplant soon. It's warming up here nicely, so hopefully everything will really be kicking into gear this next month! @dksart definitely gets all the credit for the work in the garden. I just help pick what I want to try to grow, and then I cook it all when it comes in!

For some more seasonal fun, I also snagged the first of the strawberries at the farmers market this past weekend. Such a joy to see those little gems pop back up for the first time this year! We don't grow any currently (though it looks like some wild blackberry bushes may be popping up by the fence), but will be hitting the U-pick farm as soon as they open to load up.

Here are the garlic scapes and spring onions I was happy to grab, as well. I truly am always so thankful for the local farmers to provide so much variety for things we don't have the room to grow ourselves. I had never tried the garlic scapes before, but they were so fragrant and fresh! I hope they'll have them again next week, though I don't hold my breath on some of these fleeting seasonal delicacies.

Thanks so much for coming along a stroll through the garden with me. I still definitely learn a whole lot more from you all than I on offer as a very novice gardener, but it is fun to share a taste of what we are doing. Hopefully I'll have even more to share next month. Thanks for hosting such a great challenge @simplymike!

Banners by @zord189, @woman-onthe-wing, @dksart and @bearone for @steemusa