Labor of Love

It's harvest time! At least at our house. The weather has been changing quickly in our little valley which makes me nervous for the plants I have been tending to all summer. I decided to pull in the bounty. I'm thinking this first garden season was a success!
Here is a list of the goods:

Heirloom Tomatoes
Purple Potatoes
Carrots
Butter Lettuce
Radishes
Chives
Sweet Peas
Zucchini
Herbs: Sage, Mint, Spearmint, Dill, Basil
And hopefully an eggplant before the snow hits the ground!

Some things I've learned from my first growing season in Idaho:

• You don't have to plant ALL the seeds in the seed packet, especially if you have a small garden bed. I didn't realize not everyone is a fan of radishes like I am.
  
• Planting tomatoes in pots instead of in the ground helps to make sure these picky plants get the right amount of water and sun exposure. Or in last nights case protection from frost!
• Giving your tomato plants plant food will help them grow big and strong.
  
• Plant seedlings in the spring to help lengthen the short growing season we have in this valley.
  
• Make sure everything gets water- even though the hose doesn't reach everywhere- my dill, basil, onions, and yes, cilantro didn't have a stellar summer because I couldn't quite reach them.
• Giving away things you have grown is really enjoyable! It feels like you are truly sharing your labor of love with family and friends.
• Ask LOT's of questions! No doubt something you are trying has been done before and someone has much better ideas on how to get it done with success.
• Harvesting potatoes is fun! It's like digging for treasure! Next year I think I will contain my enthusiasm a little longer though so they can have even more time to grow big and strong.
  

A big thank you to anyone and everyone that helped me accomplish this! And photo credits to my talented husband, Zach :)