I don't have a green thumb...yet.

Ask any of my family and friends and they will tell you that I have struggled with having bad luck in the garden. I am not a fan of dirt. As a kid, I would make mud pies....but I do whatever I could to keep from actually touching the dirt! In the past, I have managed to kill plants that are the most hardy of plants. It seems to be the same story each year, I can easily grow weeds anywhere, grass grows great (where it is not supposed to), and vegetables and flowers are a hit and miss.  When my parents were visiting in December, they bought me a set of 3 succulents. I was thrilled because I finally had some plants that I wouldn't kill. Fast forward a few months and only 1 is still alive.

I want to have a healthy lawn, fresh vegetables, and fresh picked blooms from my yard. The reality is that life is incredibly busy here and I didn't get this spring off to a good start. Between work, school, and Allison's insane schedule (choir performances galore, AP classes, and oh yeah - she is a teenager), it didn't leave a lot of spare time to get the yard ready.  Every day, I would look out and groan seeing it get worse and worse, but couldn't do anything about it. I wasn't the only one. At the worst, the grass and weeds were actually taller than Minnie! Every morning she would give me a look that said, "Really, I have to go into that jungle?" There are more weeds than lawn, you could barely see one of the garden beads due to the grass and weeds covering it, and the flower beds aren't much better. I long for a yard where I can sit and sip a glass of strawberry lemon-aid and just enjoy the beauty that the PNW has to offer. Right now, that isn't the case, but I am determined that it will be in a few weeks.

I am digging in, with gloves on (not touching the dirt if I can help it), and getting to work. I am starting from scratch and changing the way I garden. I am planting my vegetable in containers, and flowers in the old vegetable gardens. I was going to pull up my existing garden beds, but a dear friend convinced me to leave them and plant flowers instead. You can see the start of my container garden in the picture below. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!