How Does Your Garden Grow?

If you have been reading this blog for a while (and bless you because I have been anything but consistent), then you might remember my posts from last summer and fall about my garden. If you haven't read them, then you can find them here and here.

Now, let me bring you up to date on this lovely garden of mine...  Early in the spring, when I was still pregnant with Mason, Ben and I were in Wal-Mart buying groceries when I decided that I wanted a box of fruit roll-ups. Strawberry flavor.  Keep in mind that I haven't bought a box of fruit roll-ups ever and I probably hadn't eaten one since grade school, but I wanted a fruit roll-up. So, we buy them and I have one out of the box and unwrapped before we are even in the car.  (Not as good as I remembered. Still have about 8 left from the box of 10.)  So, Ben is like, "I can't believe you bought that box of fruit roll-ups. Those things are expensive." "They aren't that expensive." I counter back, defending my purchase.
Then the conversation continues like this:

B: "They have to be at least 3 dollars."
K: "No, I looked before I picked them up, they were only 2 dollars."
B: "No, they have to be more than that. Let's make a bet."

I have to add here that Ben is all about making bets.  He claims that he will not make a bet unless he knows he won't lose.  Ben is also all about saving money. I could write 15 blog posts about Ben and his money saving. This is the reason he is questioning my frivolous fruit roll-up purchase in the first place.

K: "Ok, what do you wanna bet?"
B: "I bet that those are more than $2.50 and ....."

I honestly cannot remember what I was going to have to do if I lost, but that isn't important anyway since I won.

K: "Fine. I bet that they are 2.00 or less (remember, I looked at the price before I bought them but he didn't believe me because I am so frivolous, obviously, and just throwing money into the wind) and if I win then you have to prepare, plant, and cultivate the garden to my specifications ALL SUMMER."
B: "It's a bet."

So, we get home, pull out the blessed Wal-Mart receipt and low and behold, those babies were $1.99!!!
Muwahahahaha!!!!!

So, feast your eyes on this year's garden:

See how cultivated it is?  Isn't it lush?  See all of the lovely, defined rows of plants?  Not a tree weed in sight! Oh, and the produce!!  Don't even get me started.  You are all going to be so jealous. Allow me to show you these pictures (can't capture it in just one) of our bountiful first crop of tomatoes:

Aren't they so beautiful and round? Don't they remind you of prize winning tomatoes or the ones you see at the farmer's market?  I know. We can't all produce this kind of quality fruit.  Some have it, some don't. And, I guess we just have it. Don't worry, there was more where these came from! Unfortunately I was unable to photograph the three tomatoes that grew together to form one tiny tomato with three bottoms. You will just have to imagine it.

I think we are also producing jalapeno peppers... if I could just locate the plant.

Ok, so needless to say, that is not exactly to my specifications.  However, remember my post about Ben traveling to montevallo every day for all those months? Well, when is he going to have time to care for a garden? So, I haven't been that hard on him.

It wasn't until my friend, Ashley, who was in town yesterday visiting from Florida while her hubby took the Bar  here in town, looked out my window and said, "Oh. Is that your garden? It kind of reminds me of a rain forrest." that I realized it was a pretty good laugh.  So, at her suggestion, I decided to fill you in on the latest garden events.  I hope I did not cause you to covet.  Just holler at me in the comment section if you want to sign up for my community crop share program. Thanks.

When I went to photograph the "garden" yesterday, I happened across this little beauty on my butterfly bush and I just wanted to share these photos since you don't get to see pretty butterflies like this very often.