Saturday, April 26, 2008

how does your urban garden grow?


strawberry, originally uploaded by varenia.

Part lesson in teaching sustainable living to the family, and part enjoyment, Richard has been tending to our backyard "urban garden" and we're starting to reap some of the benefits of the work put in.

Living in Southern California, particularly in this area where land by the square foot is astronomically expensive, our backyard is teeny-tiny-- runs the entire length of the house, but is only about 10 feet deep. So we resisted gardening in it because we didn't want to take any space away, but finally I guess Richard couldn't hold out any longer. He is especially fond of hot peppers, all kinds, and had been growing them in containers, but was feeling the need to take the project one step further. So he planted a garden, and what great timing! With the cost of food going up and up, it is such a joy to go out to the backyard and pick our own peppers, chives, and onions. Hopefully we'll have cucumbers, strawberries, and tomatoes soon.

I'm not really a "nature" photographer, I much prefer taking pictures of people, but the garden has given me a chance to explore some of the things I don't normally do with my camera, and I've actually been enjoying it more than I thought I would. I love watching how the fruits and veggies are sprouting, and the different forms they are taking through the lens of the camera.


Below:
tomatoes, bougainvillea, and cucumber

tomatoes
bougainvillea
cucumber

2 comments:

Gracie Bird said...

Lovely! I wish I had the patience for gardening, I always say "maybe next year" :-( Whereabouts in So Cal are you?

julie king said...

the bougainvillea is just lovely! i am impressed with what richard is able to grow in such a small space. my husband and i container gardened on our back patio last summer and this summer we are turning a long area next to the fence into a vegetable garden. wit the price of gas and food we are looking forward to being able to pick free food right out of our yard. all the photos are great!