Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

So, in addition to my plot at the farm, there are big things happening in my very own backyard.  My awesome neighbor Dan built this fab redwood raised bed, so we can actually plant tomatoes in the ground.  

It's turned on its side till we can deal with the soil...

 Cut to me digging a giant hole in the backyard, which I thought would take a few days and clearly is going to take me a week or two.  Turns out digging in clay soil is the kind of hard work that cuts right through you.  There are no modern problems when it's just you and the dirt. 

I've been told to cocktail the soil with coffee grounds, manure, compost, and kitchen scraps.  Luckily, I found this convenient wheelbarrow for mixing.

I even found an earthworm in the ground -- one lowly worm-- and let him loose in the mixture.  I need to find some more worms for this project.

Meanwhile, the back yard smells like spring rain and coffee grounds.  Not bad!

Man, I can taste those Cherokee purple tomatoes now...

All garden, all the time.

Gardening for Summer 2013 is already the most epic thing of my life.  

We're talking retaining walls, greenhouses, worms, and cow manure.  

Westmont is one of only two high schools in the county with an agriculture program (there is literally a farm across the street) and I've been lucky enough to be invited to have a garden plot in the new raised bed!

I've never grown seeds in a greenhouse before.  It's usually the windowsill in the laundry room.  

But the laundry room never looked like this.  This is going to be great!

Naturally, this led to making some new friends.  This steer is being raised by one of my seniors.  

By the way, Bay Area friends, come check our our annual plant sale at the Westmont High School Ag Farm. Next 5 Saturdays starting 3/30 from 9-1. Most plants are a total steal at $2 apiece and 100% of proceeds go to support the WHS Agriculture program.