Those of you who have followed me for sometime have seen me post about my garden every spring – well this spring is no different!  I’m a little late since we are almost into summer and truth be told the temperature here in the South feels like we are in the dead of July or August.  I started my raised bed garden back in April and it has been doing well so far despite the shortage of rain here in Georgia.

My garden looks a bit different this year compared to last year’s garden (head here and here for last year’s garden).  Last year my husband built me two raised beds which we placed along the back fence.  It’s the ideal spot because it’s far enough away from my back patio so we aren’t bothered by the bugs that the garden attracts and it receives a ton of sunlight.

This year I didn’t start with seeds but purchased my plants instead.  I knew that I would be planting a smaller variety of plants so I knew it would be fairly inexpensive so I skipped the whole seedling process (except for wiri wiri pepper seeds that my mom sent) and I headed to my local nursery for herbs and vegetables.

What I planted this year:  I planted rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley, chives, dill, basil and lavender.   The mint and rosemary are planted in pots close to my patio while the lavender is planted in a bed on the opposite side of my yard.  I also planted red bell peppers, jalapenos, wiri wiri pepper and 4 varieties of tomatoes.  My mom sent me wiri wiri peppers in the mail and I simply dropped them straight into the soil and now I have tiny wiri wiri pepper plants!

What I skipped this year: I didn’t plant anything that grew on a vine like I did last year.  Last year I planted beans, zucchini and yellow squash.  At some point I want to add some sort of trellis for those so that they don’t take up as much room in the bed.   I didn’t plant any lettuce or leafy greens because my garden receives a ton of direct sun and those couldn’t handle the heat.   If I do plant any of those in the future it will be a pot on my patio where it is protected.

So far I’m pleased with the growth and I water my garden diligently daily and feed it plant food weekly.  So far I’ve harvested cherry tomatoes and jalapenos.  I have a few jalapenos and bell pepper growing and all of my tomato plants have tomatoes on them as well.  I can’t wait for the tomatoes to ripen because the tomatoes straight from the plant are amazing!!  I’m still in awe of what my little raised bed garden produces!