My Edible Yard

Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts planted in raised bed 11-16-2008

I've had a small vegetable garden in my back yard off and on for several years now with 2 (sometimes 3) 4' x 8' raised beds and some containers, but I've recently been inspired by a gardening-foodie blog called DigginFood to use my entire yard as a kitchen garden. There are lots of other sustainable/urban gardening sites out there, but Willi is a Master Gardener, as well as the West Coast Editor for Organic Gardening magazine, and she has a wonderful sense of how to pair vegetable and flowering plants, not to mention a great eye for taking photos. The other thing I like about her site is that she combines her love of gardening with her love of food and cooking, and the joy she obtains from both is palpable in every blog entry.

Anna Russian heirloom tomato planted in container 11-29-2008

So here goes my attempt at creating something similar in my yard - just on the diagonal opposite side of the country. My hope is to share the satisfaction I receive from gardening, watching small seeds and seedlings in the process of growing, and the trials and tribulations I go through discovering what plants grow best where and with what. I realize that I can't do it all in 1 season, so I'll try to photograph and blog as I go along, adding a section to the yard each season until I accomplish my goal.

Please feel free to use the comment section of this blog to offer advice and/or comments, or to share recipes, favorite tools, successes, failures, etc. etc.