Lettuce & Spinach

We have had a very exciting and successful crop of lettuce and spinach already this year. More garden updates to come. I planted 2 kinds of lettuce + spinach for variety. It is unbelievable how beautiful lettuce can be when you grow it yourself. There is a crazy sense of pride that comes from eating food you planted, nurtured, grew, and harvested. I wonder if people used to feel this way when a garden/farm was a means of survival. Maybe that took all the fun out of it. 

We had a terrible time with the garden box last year because when we planted it, it was in the sun. Then the tree filled in and it was mostly shaded. Turns out this is perfect for lettuce and spinach though. They were given plenty of sun when they needed it and about the time the tree filled in this year, they were ready to be harvested. The shade even kept them cooler the last few days before harvest.

I was going to Goodwill this shelf I found at a garage sale and painted green a couple years back when T.J. snagged it and suggested we add it to the garden box (read about how he build the garden box here). I love it! It adds some color and functional space. I imagine we could serve food or drinks on it if we had people over for a cookout or summer get together.