I spent this morning in my garden weeding, pruning and lovingly taking care of my produce that is starting to pop up. Both quilting and gardening are very therapeutic for me. I love to create something beautiful with just a few basic elements.

The grape vines remind me of a Hoffman grape leaf fabric I used to sell awhile back!

I planted grapes a few years ago and every spring I get tons of lush vines. However, my grapes have been small and bitter so a friend of mine gave me a tip. She said to cut the vines back so the plant can devote more energy to grape production. Now I have a garbage bag full of clippings to show for my efforts this morning (I hope it works). You can see the grape pods starting to grow now.

I planted a couple of tomato plants underneath the grape vines and was very pleased to see them starting to fruit.

We live in a very hot climate with lots of sun which can be hard on tomatoes. An unintended consequence is that they are being shaded by the grape leaves.  You can see the vines beginning to curl around the tomato cage. What a great combo!

For part of his science project, my son is helping me with the garden. He planted some peas and was so thrilled that they actually grew. He enjoyed plucking them and eating them. He loved to pull apart the shells and eat the individual peas.

I just threw a handful of them in my mouth, pods and all. I think we will have to plant many more of those next season. What a delicious, healthy snack!

Finally, I’m cleaning out one of my garden beds. It’s amazing how many weeds can pop up when you aren’t looking!

My son was supposed to help with the weeding but got very interested in a big fat tomato worm instead. I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture of that yucky thing but it did keep him entertained for awhile so I can’t complain!