My mother used to joke that I must be part rabbit because of my love for salads.  Of course back then a salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, some tomato, perhaps some cucumber and a bit of onion and some dressing.  As the years progressed so too did my taste for the salad to the point that now I am likely to put just about anything that grows into my salad bowl at some point.

The thing that makes me most happy about the photo above – which was the salad I made for my lunch today – is that everything in it will be growing in my garden in the next few weeks.  That means I will just have to step outside to pick my lunch instead of a weekly trek to the DeKalb Farmer’s Market.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore the farmer’s market and will always be a fan because I simply can’t grow and/or make everything I need (yet).

I’m in the process now of plotting out the plans for our yard because I think some raised beds are called for this year, beds that will be perfect for the lettuces, spring onions, broccoli and cabbage.  Given the poor condition of the soil here, raised beds will offer the best overall solution for my first year at the new MEG HQ in Atlanta while Barry and I work to improve the soil.

A compost bin is another must-have that is high on my priority list.  I’ve always been a huge proponent of composting because throwing organic matter into a landfill just doesn’t make good sense.  I love the full circle feeling that  comes from growing my food from seed, nurturing it to nourish me, then taking the remainder and returning it to the soil.

A rain barrel for water reclamation is in the works as well; With the drought that the Southeast has experienced for the past several years I want to be able to use as much natural rainwater as possible, not to mention it is much better for the plants than the chemical-heavy city water.  It will also be nice to have access to my own water to give to my plants whenever they need it instead of when the city of Atlanta says I can.