Tell Us: How Does Your Garden Grow?

Inspired when I attended the recent Food Forum at the Nuture Nature Center in Easton, I realized that we have seven neighborhood gardens on my street! From container gardens to 8 x 8 gardens, it does not take much space to grow your own veggies.

For example, Joie Gates and her partner Chris Varone, of Ackerman Street, Hellertown, are self-sustaining with their backyard garden, which they meticulously planted in May. Since then it has grown and flourished (see the photos). Among the varieties of produce growing are lettuce, kale, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, plus lots more. Climbing the fence are their neighbor's green grapes.

Tell us about your green thumb and your backyard garden. We look forward to seeing your photos, which you can upload to this story.

Will you have extra produce and canned items from your garden this year? If you will, and you are interested in participating in the first annual Saucon Valley Food Swap* in September, please contact Shelley Goldberg at sgold1111@aol.com or Amy Lookenbill at Amylookenbill@gmail.com.

* A food swap is "a recurring event where members of a community share homemade, homegrown, or foraged foods with each other," according to LA Food Swap. "Swaps allow direct trades to take place between attendees, e.g., a loaf of bread for a jar of pickles or a half-dozen backyard eggs."