my brother in law david (stacy’s husband)
had this idea to plant a (large) organic fruit and vegetable garden in our backyard.
it sits behind my house…and is still in the early stages (some fruit trees have been planted around it already… apple, pear, plum, peach and cherry)
the view from the back of my house looking where the garden will be.
framing the garden.
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here is the soil.
separate raised beds for each fruit/vegetable.
look at all those beds!
and david has been planting the seedlings in their basement…
we are planting the following:
artichokes, arugula, asparagus, beets, broccoli, broccoli raab, broccoli romanesco, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, lettuce, onion, parsely, peas, peppers, potatoes, raddichio, scallions, soybeans, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, string beans, tomatoes (lots of varieties), zucchini, figs, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, and honeydew.
plus we are also planting several herbs.
we are so excited about this garden (thanks david!!!)
it will be all the produce our families need…right in our backyard.
although we do have help to tend to the garden, we are all participating. and the kids will pitch in too…whether they’d like to or not!
xxx
jennifer
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Martha would be proud.
Wow Jennifer that garden will be amazing. I’m so happy for you and a little jealous. We had a vegetabel garden years ago and it was wonderful. Enjoy it.
that’s great you’re going to be gardening! i’ve been thinking about gardens, too, except we live in an apartment – we have mixed results with container gardening on our balcony – i always entertain fantasies of fresh salads & veggies from the garden. you and/or your brother-in-law might want to check out the ‘square foot gardening’ concept (he may be doing it already). it sounds like it’s fool-proof!
Wow that is some project! You have lots of work ahead of you this summer! I guess you don’t have a deer problem either! You won’t be able to leave your house – you’ll be doing WATERING MORNING NOON AND NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck – it looks like a lot of fun.
Fantastic garden!!!
Love to see it when it grows in.
i am so excited to watch the progress. Way to go David!
impressive . . . who will take care of this huge project?
Are you getting your hands dirty too? I’m in the process of putting in a large garden also. The second time I’ve done it because we moved. It’s a lot of work, but there’s nothing better. The down side, you’re going to get sooooo spoiled having fresh from the garden food, you won’t want store bought ever!!! Good Luck, and happy harvesting!!!
Nothing soothes the soul like gardening. Getting my hands in the soil is peace itself. Congratulations and good luck finding enough weeders! The frames look beautiful! Great job! BEAUTIFUL WORK!
Amazing!! I want a garden! Enjoy all the yummy fruits and veggies!
Wow. That is so ambitious. It will be wonderful. I hope you will continue to share photos of the progress (similar to Alexis’ apt photos). Good luck~!
Hello David. He’s yummy.
Honey, ya’ll should just do what Martha does and hire some people to do the weeding for you. That’s definitely what I would do. That way you get to enjoy the harvest-but dont’ have to get dirty! Gardens are always fun for the first month or two.
Its’ beautiful though!
It is awesome!! Your family will be busy…..but it will be so worth it!!!
Thanks for sharing the photos!
Wow…. I’m so jealous!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep us updated on it…. especially when you start getting fruits and veggies. We need pictures and recipes and taste tests on air and, and and………..
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-A
https://kubiclekitchen.blogspot.com/
Michelle O’Bama will be proud!!
I love the garden so jealous!! One day when i have the space it will be fabulous. I think it’s such a great idea and it is going to teach your kids so much.
I bet you’ll have help… the maid will do most of the work!!! You might lose some weight if you actually got out there and got your hands dirty!
That’s awesome! It’s going to be a LOT of work but you can control weeds with good mulching. I pick something from my garden ever day for a meal, although it’s not nearly as huge or inclusive as yours will be. At least we get tomatoes and arugula all the time, herbs and salad stuff…
Have fun and get lots of help! AND one of those knee=pad things!
Wow, sounds like so much fun. I am so jealous. It will be nice, not having to shop for this stuff at supermarket.
Best of luck with it. Like to see more pics as time goes on.
fantabulous! what a great yard for it! all that space and looks to be great sun exposure.
please do post lots of pics and info along the way for those of us with postage stamp yards (and a big lovely, though sun hogging, maple). have a tiny spot for tomatoes and some herbs… what you are doing is a Dream!
Boo to the whining from the blogosphere. it is a great project and a great learning experience for your families. looking forward to photos and updates.
make sure you share your crops with Alexis. I’m sure she has fabulous receipe’s for them.
Are you planning on using a drip water system. Will you start a compost pile? did you amend the soil? now are all those summer vegetables? do you plan on a fall garden. What is your zone and growing season. Thomas Jefferson took notes about his garden. I suggest you keep a journal. Good luck will you start canning the overflow??
In addition to photos, how about some time-lapse video?! The thing looks awesome.
what a great idea! please keep us posted as i’m going to be planting my first garden ever.
when my daughters were young they had to help tend the garden – they were each giving a small patch to plant whatever vegetable they liked. they were responsible for all the weeding — oh they complained. 15 years later they still relate the horror of pulling weeds but they miss the fresh veggies
One of my great memories from childhood is helping my dad in the garden. It was so much fun picking veggies and fruit. We even planted watermelon. I would love to do that in my own backyard someday.
Your garden is huge. It looks like the big M helped you. My handy man is making me a garden out of epa wood, like the one martha had on her show. It will be waist high and a foot deep. This way it can be left on our deck and the deer won’t eat it, they will just eat all my other flowers. They like a blend of salsa and pepper. Deer off and irish spring soap are there favorite. Anyways you should have enough vegetables to last you all summer and fall. I wish I could have one like your although I would not be able to work in it because of my neck. Good luck and happy weeding. Amy
jennifer!
You and your sister sure know how to snag some good looking men..yummy…
Is this a project for Martha’s magazine or TV show?
I think that is a great family project. Please keep us updated on how it goes.
Your brother-in-law can plant my garden anyday!
Love garden’s. All I can say is you better fence it!!!! My dad has one and every year and those critter’s still find a way to get in there (and they eat everything).
That is really cool, it is nice to know that David is not doing that all by himself. That is a big project in itself. I can not wait to see your growing pictures, picking pictures and eating pictures. Good Luck!!!
I’m not sure where you live but how are you going to keep the deer away? We have such a problem in CT with deer.
i am so impressed- keep posting progress you guys are doing the very right thing
Love the garden! Looks like lots of fun and look forward to the “after” pictures from August & September. Enjoy
Wow, that is a huge garden! I can’t wait too see if you enjoy gardening….LOLOL!
Amazing! Do you have an irrigation system too?
I can taste already taste the tomatoes.
Will you have a Garden Party in a few weeks? Have people over to help weed?
Looks fantastic! Don’t forget to start a compost pile, no red meat however. Eggs, coffee grounds, filter included are ok. Obviously all vegetable matter (without legs) leaves & lawn clippings are fine too. If you’re close to a fish monger maybe pick up some fish parts. Fish is an excellent fetilizer as if horse/cow manure. Although with CJD prions, maybe stay away from cow products? All your call of course. The seedlings look a bit spindly, maybe David could lower the lamp? Stay clear away from miracle grow & other such “Miracle” fertilizers. Lastly, checkout “You Bet Your Garden” on: https://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/
ps Keep some Diatomaceous earth on hand fo rgarden pest control. It’s all natural & won’t harm you or the pets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
Okay so I love gardening! good luck with it!!!
what a great project jennifer. good luck with everything because your undertaking a big project. i hope you will help out with it. your produce will pay for the work you put into it.
wow, what a project! what does David do, is he a gardener or landscaper? just curious what got him inspired for this project. He could be Martha’s protege!
You could open your own farmer’s market 🙂
I love this! I’m doing the same with my kids this year, but on a MUCH smaller scale. I love the idea though!
It looks awesome. You’ll find that not only is gardening good exercise, it’s the type of activity that you might really enjoy. And the rewards are fabulous. Please keep us updated!
OMG! David obviously knows what he’s doing. That’s a lot to take on. I hope you’ve gardened before . . . you’ll be reaping what David sowed. LOL Siriously, good luck!
Neat!!!!
Such a nice large backyard, too.
How fun! It will bring so much to your lives..sounds corney but it is true.
I always wanted to teach a weekly class for young children about gardening from seed to vegtable, fruit, herb, etc….
I think it teaches SO much.
Enjoy!
C
YEAH David and KUDOS to Jennifer & fam for having this spectacular garden! I’m starting my own little garden this summer and so looking forward to reaping the results. HAPPY GROWING!
Be aware that it takes 2-3 years before you can harvest asparagus for eating. It’ll come up the first year, but if you pick it, it won’t come back again.
This looks fabulous! If you plan on having nighttime garden parties, beware the slugs!
I found an organic solution to keep them away using eggshells on the website below- check it out! There is also a really disgusting solution that involves putting slugs in a blender- no joke…
https://www.selfsufficientish.com/budgetorganicgardening.htm
Jennifer I would like some yellow and white tomatoes planed so i can be jealous of the great tomatoes you gorw i love cherry tomatoes
Screw the hate comments! Love the garden, sounds like a ton of yummy veggies you’ll be eating soon!
I think you will love having a garden. I have had one for a few years now and find it very therapeutic. I especially like growing herbs, They can be so expensive and lose their flavor quickly when you buy them. It is also good exercise without having to think about it also.
Wow. You guys must be RICH!
Kidding. The show was good today. I can hear the frustration is your voices and felt your pain. People are morons. Whatever.
That’s so great!
that is great…be sure to get your kids involved. Very important they get their hands in the soil!!!
Make sure Ms Hazel doesnt eat any Onions.
this is AMAZING! i am soooooooooo happy for you and yours. XXOOOXX
Thought perhaps you or David might enjoy this trailer for The Garden. It opens in theaters April 24, 2009is an engaging and powerful look at the famous political and social battle over the largest community garden in the US (located in South Central Los Angeles). https://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/22/trailer-for-the-gard.html
It looks like it’s going to be great….are you going to trim the boards where they stick out a little….I can picture ya stubbing your toe on them…I could see myself doing that anyway…..Keep the pictures coming ….it will be fun to see it grow.
beautiful garden…i own a farm market with my husband and love to watch things come out of something so tiny…good luck…. i wish nothing but sunny skies for your garden 🙂
outstanding!! What Zone are you in? I’m planning something in a smaller scale for my daughter to get started. She has the room but not the support.
Both of the Koppelman girls have “hottie” husbands, no slouches they! And look at Miss Alexis with her young buck!!
As for gardening in my backyard; the space is more than adequate, but the foraging critters make it an exercise in futility. Better to support my local farmer’s market.
VERY AWESOME, WAIT TILL MARTHA STEWART SEE THAT MASSIVE GROWING FIELD, Maybe she’ll say it’s better then hers!
please keep us updated
would love to see the progress
is alexis helping…she must have lots of knowledge to share
good luck:)
The impostor wrote about Michele O’Bama.
I wanted to say that it’s really nice that your brother-in-law made this garden for all of you to enjoy. Are you planting any gourds or pumkins for the kid to enjoy? I planted them in very large pots, that Guy Wolf made for me. It works out well and I don’t have to buy them in the fall. Sound like your brother-in-law is really into gardening. And his plans are really fantastic. Enjoy the garden this summer, hopefully it won’t be too rainy. Amy
Jenn,
This is a great Idea, it will be a great bonding thing for the kids and the whole family. So what if you have a person to help look after it. I grew up on a farm. It’s good for you all. and the food you will have will be the best, because you grew it on your own. Good luck. and GET DIRTY!
WOW, very ambitious for a *first* garden! Good thing you had help cutting out the grass and tilling and had a big load of soil delivered, it looks like. I did that myself in my yard in 1994 (manually)and even that small patch had a LOT of grass in it.Also the fancy seedling growers and lights, your bro in law must have experience with gardening. That will get you started, get the kids used to pulling weeds before they get overwhelming. Also, tomato hornworms can eat your entire tomato crop in a few days, so watch out for them. You have to pick t hem off individually if you do not want to use a lot of chemicals, I used a hemostat to pick them off my heirloom tomatoes last year. Planting more trees around the garden could be a bad move, you are lucky to have that much room in between the big trees on your property, don’t let fruit trees shade the garden!!!!! Good luck and have fun!! Hope you do not have other summer plans, because this large of a garden will need daily care.
I have an 8×8 garden. Don’t be jealous.
HOLY CRAP!
That’s fantastic! Good for you Jennifer. That’s so funny because we’re doing the same thing. I was out planting all day! We’re doing herbs, vegetables and fruit trees – anything that will survive in Washington state. Your garden is awesome! I can’t wait to watch yours grow!!!
omg! your garden is the size of my house! 🙂
This is WAAAYYYY to much work. Is someone helping?
this is fabulous! and inspiring….i’m going to do this too!
WOW! Please post pics as it comes along. I’m doing a raised bed (just one for starters) garden this year. I’ll be anxious to see how yours turns out. Very nice!
I don’t know WHERE to comment. Which side? Alexis? Jennifer?
Chelsea, posted to Alexis that Jarrod was David. So, I SHOULD be posting to Alexis, BUT I researched Jenn’s posts, so… .
I thought Chelsea was nuts. Okay, nuttier than I am. I went back into the archives to dig up older photos of David. I, then, saved them, along with those of Jarrods, and ripped them apart in PSP. Chelsea, isn’t so far off. There are a LOT of similarities. The chin, the eyes. Well, the ears are “slightly” off, as well as the sideburns. Jarrod’s sidebirns grow downward and Davids grow towards the front. Yes, I DO have a life, but I LOVE a mystery. David is 40-41, and Jarrod looks at LEAST 10-15 years younger. Okay, 10 years younger.
Who IS Jarrod? If this was a scenario from Sex and the City. I’d say, “Jarrod is one of Samantha’s playmates.” So, in real life, maybe Jarrod is a playmate of Alexis. I’m on the WRONG side of the board, hmm?
I couldn’t help but look at Jenn’s old photos — it’s been over a year since I saw them. I noticed a photo of Stacy, from November 2006 and was startled when I saw “Bunny” in Stacy’s face. The eyes. I think the ENTIRE Koppleman family have “kind eyes.” Kind eyes = good hearts and good souls.
I don’t know IF David IS Jarrod.
The Koppleman girls married handsome men. I can’t imagine what Jarrod would look like with hair — he looks great without.
Why did Alexis say, “AKA Jarrod?”
David AKA Jarrod? I really don’t think so.
Thank you, this was a great motivator. I can hardly wait to see the progress.
I planted my seeds on the first day of spring. But the weather here in San Diego has been unseasonably chilly and cloudy. So my seeds are moving very slowly, I have just seen a bit of green this week. YEA!
Very cool, just dont confuse the real seeds with the weeds – I did that last year. Enjoy!
WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING?
what??? no negative comments??? this garden is just plain ridiculous – are you going to feed the whole nation? still saying there is a monetary reason for it.
Wow that area would grow a lot of ganja!!
Dresden DD you need a life. Besides all your banal ramblings about bro-in-law David being Jarrod and your ‘detective’ abilities, “AKA Jarrod” means that Alexis is NOT telling us ‘Jarrod’s real name. Duhhhhh. Why would she?
Are you still alive? Why not share what you’ve been doing/making?
First of all ..To Dresden Disney-Dior : Why did you place a critique (sp?) of Alexis’ guy on the garden blog ??? Secondly, Jennifer..your garden looks like it’s going to be fabulous ! I look forward to seeing it’s progress in future blogs. I really want a garden but my husband will not ALLOW me to tear up his perfect lawn. So, instead I tore-up a corner & made a Sunflower patch. Had my 16 yr. old son up on a ladder trimming branches off a tree that was preventing all day sun. (He got a charge out of using a chain saw…scary!) Lastly, are any of the tomatoes the “green” tomatoes ? I need them for a cilantro/tomatilla dip..?!?! I am in Texas, near Houston–and have a difficult time finding them in area supermarkets.
Dresden, huh? Jarrod is a driver Alexis picked up in Vegas. David is Jen’s brother-in-law. Are you saying that David had his ears adjusted and some fantastic anti-aging treatment? Or are you saying that when posting pics of David/Jarrod Alexis and Jenn use the same dude as some elaborate hoax? Or wait, are you thinking maybe David is sleeping with Alexis all the while making a fabulous garden for Jen? I’m soooo confused.
I think we are saying that Alexis will f*** anything even Jen’s brother-in-law.
The title of Alexis’ blog about Jarrod was “hottie from vegas”. aka means “also known as” therefore his name is not hottie from vegas but Jarrod. Get it???? Some of you people are so ignorant.
I’m in awe….
Will you be filming a TV show in your back yard. I think it has potential for a series or at least a video/.DVD to be sold through your blog. At least whet the appetites of consumers with a birdcam I mean Garden Cam yes a garden cam install a b er Garden cam to show progress pleeeeeze –as you time is occupied by the garden. Invite Michelle O or at least make her aware better yet have your kidz write to her kidz OMG the possibilities!!!!!!
Hen, it’s going to be great and wish I could do that here in Vegas but the heat is too much for most vegetables. All I have is a tangerine tree, but I have only been able to get about 6 of them at a time! ha Happy for you and the kids it should be fun.
Andrea, HUH? Someone posted on Alexis’s blog that MAYBE David and Jarrod were one in the same. How it got to THIS, I don’t KNOW? Chelsea planted a seed and I watered it. Just for FUN, just to kill a half hour on a hotter than hot desert day, I compared photos and found that David IS David and Jarrod is, I don’t know whom, exactly. Yes, I KNOW who David is, I know who Stacy is — I got to know this wonderful family, through the blog when Bunny was “suffering.” Okay, I’m WEIRD! I FELT this family’s pain and I sent cards to the hospital and I KEEP praying for them. I wish EVERYONE was as “weird” as I am.
To mczmom, why did I blog in the “garden segment?” I had to dig through Jenn’s archives to locate a better photo of David — which I did in December of 2006 and since I was on Jenn’s side — I stayed there.
Andrea, I don’t THINK like that, so save the drama. Jarrod is the driver? Love his “uniform!” I didn’t know Chippendale’s knew how to drive.
Your yield is going to be enormous. Looks great but truly enough for a small city:the kids in the summer can sell the extra produce at their own farmers market!