Making Room for Vegetables

Growing up in a small town in the South I knew my way around a garden.  My grandparents on both sides had farms.  During the summer months my mother could be quite a task master.  She saw the summer as a time to get the work done.  This was the season to gather vegetables to eat and enjoy and put up for later.She didn't think twice about waking up my brother and me before dark.  We'd stumble into the truck and make a stop at the Jiffy Jim for breakfast.  I would get a cherry pie and lemonade and my brother got an apple pie and chocolate mile.  Then we'd drive out to spend the morning in either a grandparents' garden or a generous friend's garden to pick corn, okra, beans, peas, tomatoes, squash and whatever other vegetable that was in season.  There were also those particular mornings when we were told to put on our long sleeves.  That was the red flag.  We knew on those mornings we would be fighting the briars and prickles to pick blackberries. I particularly hated those mornings as I'm deadly afraid of snakes.  Of course, the work did not end when we got home.  Then there was the process of shucking, shelling, washing, and trimming the vegetables and fruits to freeze, can, pickle or preserve.  It seemed like a never ending process.In my own homes I've always had a little bit of ground to grow some vegetables.  Whether a sunny spot on a side yard or raised cross tie beds,  I've always loved having a spot for herbs, vegetables and strawberries.  When the boys were little it was always a fun project to plant, nurture and watch everything bloom and grow.The house we are in now, while full of lots of trees and beautiful mature growth, doesn't have a great spot for a garden.  While visiting a friend recently I loved some raised beds they had.  That would be the perfect project for planting in a sunny spot in our yard without needing the ground space.  And, I do love a project.So while this won't look like much to you lucky folks with lots of land to grow lots and lots of fresh veggies, I'll be happy to have some tomatoes, eggplant, and lots of different peppers to put on the table.The Husband is not one who particularly enjoys or even partakes in handy work, but he put these elevated beds together in no time!They came with a perfect mesh liner to allow water to seep through but keep soil in.  Then we filled with good vegetable soil and placed the plants.That's it.  How easy is that!This wasn't the only project I did yesterday.  It was the perfect day to plant pots, replace plants, clean out beds and start some  different vines in various places I've wanted.  I'm happy to report that without doing a regular workout, run or traditional exercise I had 25,431 steps on my fitness tracker and 2167 calories burned.  Pretty good for a day outside enjoying the weather.  And, the best thing is everything looks fresh and set for enjoying being outside.Do you have a garden?  What do you plant?  Do you enjoy DIY projects?  Afraid of snakes?Enjoy Your Day!