I have a problem...I tend to get a little overzealous and excited, want instant gratification and maaaaaayybe cut corners just so I can get something done.  All so I can step back and marvel at my completed project.  Sometimes my short cuts come back to bite me in the ass.  This happened in the early stages of my Potager.  I didn't necessarily do things "wrong". I was just so anxious to get my pea gravel and wood chips laid I didn't go through all the prep work that I could have done to prevent weeds from popping up.  Live and learn.

     Fact: you may think that several inches of pea gravel and/or wood chips will keep any grass or weeds from popping up, but sadly it does not!  I laid my pretty gravel and woodchips, and within a matter of merely a week the grass and weeds crept their way through to say hello.  I needed a solution to my problem.  An organic way to kill the grass and weeds running rampant through my walkways and along the outside of my beds.  Something that could kill some pretty thick and stubborn unwanted greenery, that wasn't Roundup.  Once again, vinegar to the rescue!!!  This incredibly easy and highly effective solution has completely eradicated anything and everything that I have sprayed it on with only one application.  It is amazing, and I can't shut up about how fantastic it works.  So please, ditch the Roundup, buy yourself some vinegar, and destroy those unwanted weeds and grass that are plaguing your beautiful garden the organic way.  Read on. 

          The time of year has come where my seasonal depression rears its ugly head and stops in to say "hey I'm here!".  I'm sick of being cold, the gray, the mud, putting on jackets and hats, the lack of green, etc.  We have gotten a few "teaser days" of spring where the temps warmed up (even into the 50's a couple times) and I could frolic in the sun and pretend I was accomplishing things outside.  Thinking of these days make it torturous when winter smacks us back to reality, ergo the seasonal depression.  But, these quiet and antsy times give me time to not only reflect on everything accomplished in 2017, but plan, draw, and make my to do lists for 2018!  It gives me hope! Check out what we have in store. 

          So I'm going to come right out and say it... I am not a fan of grass.  That perfectly manicured lawn look is not for me.  First of all, it wouldn't look perfect because I have oodles of animals and animals poop.  I live on a small subsistence farm, and the last thing that I have time for is mowing grass.  And for what? For looks? Sure, it can be fed out to the animals, but they don't eat it all so it ends up being a waste.  A waste of time, and a waste of space. I don't want to spend hours mowing, or use what could be valuable garden space to feed my family on an aesthetic monoculture.  
          Last year I came across a French style of gardening that I wasn't all that familiar with.  Potager Gardens, also known as kitchen gardens consist of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers woven into a beautiful yet functional space.  I was immediately intrigued, and began googling my heart out.  Results yielded photos of beautiful raised beds made of wood and rocks, with natural walkways woven in between bursts of pollinator loving colors.  This was the solution I was searching for to transform the grassy area out my back door and kitchen (it was meant to be) into a useful and beautiful space.  
            

        The end of May aka the garden planting time here in Zone 5b came and went with gray, drizzling, and unseasonably cold temperatures.  But, a day or two of sun and mid-sixties did manage to sneak in over Memorial Day weekend and I got my planting on!  This year's line up brings a lot of "firsts" for me not only in varieties and veggie types, but actual gardening methods as well!  This year I have your traditional "in the dirt garden" in addition to my Tower Garden that my sister gave me.  She moved, and didn't have outdoor space for it so I eagerly accepted it!  I am excited about all of the good things I have growing, and am optimistic for a bountiful harvest this year!