Gardens

I love living in Dallas!!  But the most disheartening thing about being here is that there are no gardens!  With a yard that is less than a quarter of an acre, and scorching, relentless heat from June till September not many people are adventurous enough to plant anything very labor intensive out here.

I was standing on the patio when I took this picture.  And the patio is an 8x10 block of cement right off the kitchen.

No one in our ward has a garden.  No one in our neighborhood has a garden.  I haven't seen a garden since I left Utah.  It's possible that there is one somewhere, but I have not yet been able to find it.  


There are several Farmer's Markets within a few miles of our house...

and there's a beautiful new Whole Foods Market, so there are opportunities to buy really good produce, but they're also REALLY expensive.  
I have been so spoiled for the past 7 years.  I can't remember the last time I BOUGHT a zucchini.  We haven't had one since we moved here, because I can't bring myself to PAY FOR something that I used to walk outside and pick out of my garden.  People in Mendon had so much zucchini that you could find it in boxes at the Post Office for FREE! 

Today we went to visit some very dear friends who used to live in Mendon and now live in Carrollton.  And guess what!!!  They have a teeny little garden.  But it's a garden nonetheless!  Apparently you have to have once lived in Mendon to make the gardening effort in Dallas.

They have radishes, lettuce, ZUCCHINI, peas, tomatoes, and I think there might be a pumpkin in there.  


They also have various herbs plants sprinkled among the decorative plants in their yard.

Rosemary

Cilantro

Sage

Flat Leaf Parsely

It was inspiring to see all that they had done with a small space.  It was practical, decorative, productive, beautiful and minimally invasive!  It made me want to come right home and plant my own little herb garden.  Too bad it's Sunday.  But next week is Spring Break and I think I may have just come up with a great idea for a family project!