Today was gardening day!

Our vegetable garden is approximately 7 feet wide and 12 feet long. Hubby John began turning the soil, then handed off to Ian. Once the soil was prepared, John and Ian planted 3 pepper plants and 6 tomato plants — of multiple varieties. They are having a contest over whether the plants they each planted will grow faster than the other’s.

We also have two types of lettuce (half planted now, the other half will be planted in two weeks), then a third variety that likes Florida winters will be planted in the fall. I planted some flower seeds in the front yard and lady peas in our vegetable garden.

It’s sort of a joke that I insist on planting the lady peas. Each year my husband whines, “Not the dreaded lady peas!”

If you don’t have family from Arkansas, then you’ve probably never heard of them. The peas are a pale green, with a darker green eye and look like petite blackeyed peas. The flavor is incredibly wonderful and I’m surprised they never caught on nationally!

It feels very sentimental to plant lady peas because my grandmother had them in her garden. She knew they were a particular favorite of mine and always made me “a mess of them.” She passed away almost 27 year ago and I still miss her tremendously. Planting lady peas each year makes me feel as if she’s still a vital participant in my life.

So here’s a photo of our newly planted garden — KC

Veggie Garden