There is nothing I enjoy more than fresh garden food. Farm to table. That is my forever trend. I have had or been around a garden my entire life. Around six years ago, I transitioned from traditional rows to a square foot garden. Growing more in less space was the perfect solution for a backyard gardener on-the-go like myself.

Gardening is something that is often passed from generation to generation. My grandfather inspired my dad’s love for gardening, and my dad inspired mine. I remember being very pregnant with my youngest when making the finishing touches to my square foot garden. My dad was right there with me. This year I was able to finally convince him to install a square foot garden is his own backyard. History repeats itself!

There are several reasons why a square foot garden works for me:

• You can grow a lot in a small space.
• It’s aesthetically pleasing. This is really nice for type A folks.
• Few weeds means less maintenance. Mama ain’t got time for that.

Reasons why I love small space gardening:

• It’s therapeutic.
• It gives you a chance to experiment.
• You have food in your backyard. This is the coolest. Watching something go from a seed to something edible on your plate never ceases to amaze me. Kiddos love it, too, and they tend to try things they normally would not.

Keep in my mind there are ups and downs in the adventure of growing food. Mother Nature is a beast. Some years you may have cucumbers growing out of your ears and peppers for Peter Piper to pick. Other times you may only have enough tomatoes to have one fabulous BLT and the rest are little runts that make salsa a time or two.

For me, it’s the adventure of the game. I learn something new every season.

I dive into unknown territory head first. I don’t follow the rules. I don’t grow what I know, but many times experiment and grow what I know nothing about. I enjoy growing different varieties: cucumbers of all shapes and sizes, heirloom tomatoes, peppers from mild to hot, and umpteen different greens to fill my salad bowl. I have three little helpers that I hope to inspire to have a garden one day. And maybe they’ll enjoy their veggies along the way as well.

Thankfully, I don’t have to rely on my backyard garden to feed my family. I am fortunate to be able to trust my true indulgence of locally grown goodies to the farmers of my local market. I am truly grateful of their knowledge, work ethic, and willingness to dig in the dirt and grow food in abundance.

This year has been somewhat different. My focus is in many different directions and my garden has taken a back seat. It’s frustrating to me in some regard, but I’ve tried to stay positive and be grateful for all my garden offers.

The one and only pepper I harvested from a plant the entire season, but boy was it huge.

The massive amount of over-wintered swiss chard.

The tiny harvest of tomatoes.

Growing something for the very first time.

Saving seed.

Thankfully, the hubs and I love swiss chard. It’s super easy to grow, super easy to prepare, and super easy to cook. And to top it off, it’s super tasty. Oh, and how can I forget? It’s super healthy! Make sure to harvest the chard in the morning or evening when it’s not so hot. Strip the leaves from the stem and wash the greens several times. Be sure and check for little critters that like to hide in the folds and crevices.