This was my very third year of vegetable gardening, and I must say we got quite a crop of tomatoes and peppers. It was a garden that almost didn’t happen.  Three years ago, I thought that growing my own food would be an enjoyable and healthy hobby. I spent two days in May removing an old Christmas tree and digging up sod to create a small space for veggies.

The first year, I tended that garden like it was my kid. In other words, I hovered over it and wouldn’t let it have the car keys.  At first, I had odd-looking cucumgords and a few pathetic yellowish tomatoes. But I stuck with it and eventually grew an entire salad AND more cucumbers than were reasonable for a suburban family of four….continue reading.