Berries and Future Garden Aspirations...

I've tried to include my little kiddos in our garden this year. Which was difficult because I wanted it to be done just right. But Sophie, my four-year-old, planted the sunflowers and made the signs for each row of beans and peas and carrots, etc. Naomi did her best not to dig up everything Sophie and I had planted...or maybe she didn't try that hard, but we made sure she had a few things to do too. :)

I'm kind of a gardening imbecile, so I checked out some books from the library--I should have just visited Rachel's house!--to help me know what plants to plant beside each other and when to plant them, etc. Unfortunately, even with the tried and true help of garden experts, I still didn't have much success this year. The radishes were munched by slugs and ants before we could get a bite; and the carrots, well, they just didn't grow at all. The beans and beets were...um...I haven't determined the cause of death yet. The peas did produce some good edible snacks for us, but the best results this year have come from our lone blueberry bush. Oh, thank heaven for berries! Every year this little bush produces a little more fruit. It's perfect for a summertime snack!

I'm sure I probably need to do some kind of pruning to keep this little bush healthy, but really, all it has needed so far is watering...which most of the time I can remember to do. :)

I used to think that gardening was a one-chance thing in the spring and summer where you had just one chance to start a garden before it was too hot or too late in the season. But, thankfully, somewhere in those library books I learned that gardening is a year-round seasonal thing. So, even though most of my plants failed so far, I know I can start something new, something different, and still find success.

Do any of you garden year-round? What would you recommend for me now?