Putting the "green" in Greengirls

My dad laughed out loud when he heard I was one of the Greengirls, and frankly I don't blame him; it is quite a stretch.

I grew up under the green thumb of my dad, and although he's not a master gardener, he certainly has mastered gardening. My childhood was filled with baskets of fresh green beans, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, onions, rutabagas, lettuce, spinach, parsnips, peppers and tomatoes, among other things. One would think that being surrounded by all of that, not to mention flower beds galore, some of that knowledge would have rubbed off. It didn't. But it did leave me with a love for all vegetables -- well almost all of them, I can take or leave a parsnip -- and big gardening dreams.

Our current garden space is small and is primarily used to feed my love for all things tomato.

I like to make my own tomato sauce and salsa, and always want to have tomatoes at the ready for BLTs and sandwiches. We grow big tomatoes, roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. I plant peppers of varying degrees of spiciness and one more random vegetable that we select on a whim, and that's about all the room we have. Herbs are grown in pots, with chives, rosemary and basil taking center stage. For years I've been eyeing spaces to expand the garden, but have yet to take the plunge. I was certain this would be THE year, but then started to wonder if the crazy spring weather was trying to tell me something. Can I manage a bigger garden? Where do I even start?

Although life with three kids is hectic at best, gardening makes me happy. I love looking at the garden in various stages of growth, and I love that when you eat fresh-picked vegetables -- especially tomatoes off the vine -- you can almost taste the sunshine. It leaves me hungry for more.

So as the greenest of the Greengirls, I'm turning to you for advice. Is it too late to take the plunge or would I be biting off more than I can chew? I'm all ears.

Oh, and don't forget the Greengirls plant swap on Saturday -- find details here.