Saturday was a beautiful day. It was bright, sunny, and clear with temps in the low 70's. We had lots of plans for the weekend, although Cheesehead's plans were different from mine. He wanted a deck and kept interrupting my work to help him with his plan. It was evident from the start he wanted to derail my healthy eating plans for the family.
Somehow I just don't think a vegetable garden is high on his priority list. That could have something to do with the fact that there are only two vegetables he'll willingly eat (but only prepared certain ways). The kids aren't QUITE as picky eating about 5 willingly without complaint. Not a large variety, but I'm hoping to turn their opinions of vegetables around after they sample vegetables fresh from our garden.
Thankfully he invited his brother and mom over or I wouldn't have gotten anything on my list done. He wanted to install a deck behind the house. Our yard is completely slanted so there really is nowhere to put our patio table set. I think a deck would be nice, but I wanted to get my veggie garden put in.
The kids were put in charge of moving the rocks that we had made into a rock garden for Cheesehead last year. Apparently he didn't like it so much. It did get a bit overgrow. I'll use the rocks else where. We had already transplanted the flowers last fall, so all that's really left to move are the rocks, logs from the trees we cut down on Wednesday, and the birdbath.
After a few minutes of picking up rocks, they got bored and wanted to take over my job. They thought it looked more fun to level a portion of the yard, remove perennial weeds, and clear out the brush. Whatever. At least they weren't holed up inside stuck to the video games all day.
Somehow I don't think they did the best job of removing all of the brush.
Friday the kids and I had moved the smaller logs into a pile. Now we just have the large ones to move. I'm thinking about making some of these into some stepping stones for our back yard landscaping project. I thought we could dig a hole in the dirt so the surface of a thinly sliced log is flush with the dirt. Does that sound like a crazy idea? When I mentioned this idea to Cheesehead, he just rolled his eyes at me. He dutifully asked BIL to bring his chainsaw with him anyway though.
After a morning of hard work, the guys were ready to take a break. I figured it wouldn't take much to finish my small raised bed so I agreed we needed a break. My plot was all cleared, leveled, and ready for the lumber! It's desperately in need of some good dirt too. Doesn't that look like fine beach sand over there?
We went for a ride up to the cemetery. (Only a "short" hour and a half from home.) We didn't get home until dark. Plans for finishing our work on Sunday were put on hold for an all day long dousing drizzle. Hooray! We really need the precip. I suppose we all need to take a day off once in a while anyway. I decided I'd finish my garden on Monday.
Look what I woke up to this morning. It's been snowing all day too. No matter, I was determined to finish my project though. Luckily I'm working in the back yard so I wasn't seen by many passers by. They'd probably think I was crazy out there working in the snow to build a raised garden bed. As I worked, I got a brilliant flash of idea. Cheesehead decided that he wasn't going to make his deck as big as he had planned on making it, so I grabbed his two extra 12 foot boards so my garden will be 4x12 instead of 4x8. That'll show him not to help me with my projects. Mwuahhahah!
I came inside to warm up for a while and chat my crazy head off before going out to finish my project. Also to get some MUCH needed advise before I continue my endeavor.
I can't afford enough dirt to fill my new garden and I don't have any finished compost from the relatively new mismanaged compost pile. Here's my "brilliant" idea: Would it be stupid to fill the bottom 2 inches with leaves and pinestraw from my "compost" pile and fill is as much of the top with dirt from last years planters and left over spagnum and shredded leaves?
I need dirt fast before Cheesehead derails my evil healthy eating plans. HELP!!!!
Thank you for stopping by to chat with me. Please leave me a message, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cindy
11 comments:
What we have done is found a horse place with plenty of manure, amended to soil, you don't have to fill it full this year, unless cheesehead will see his out and grab your wood! PS, You sound so evil!
No, not dumb at all. Yes! Pine straw and leaves on the bottom would be good. A place I get good soil from is my own garden. When I trench and edge my beds I remove some soil, put in a wheelbarrow and fill in low areas or build up hills or whatever. it works great! So if you have a garden nearby that could use an edging, do this to get some soil. It is amazing how much soil I have moved! Horse manure added in like Dawn says it great too!
Here another idea to add to the others. Dig out a little soil to put in those tree rounds, then add that soil to the manure mixture in the raised bed. You'd be surprised the amount of soil you dig up installing stepping stones & edging. Good luck.
You would actually be doing a lasagna garden by layering compost components in your raised bed! If you aren't familiar with lasagna gardening try a search on the web for more information. Also, I had logs from my trees cut and sunk into the ground to make steps in my garden. If you look on my blog on May 17, 2008 you will see what they look like! Good luck!
Cinj, your idea should work just fine. My new veggie bed is smaller than yours by a couple feet, but I used leaves and grass clipping in my layers. Since you're hoping to plant it this year, putting the uncomposted leaves and stuff on the bottom should work out great.
It might be harder to sprout seeds if you had the uncomposted layers near the top, but on the bottom they should be fine. With the soil on top and with the warmer weather coming soon, the leaves will decompose pretty fast. In the fall, you can pile more layers on top and it will break down alot over the winter, especially if you cover it with some black plastic to keep it cooking.
I've got lettuce, radishes, peas, spinach, and endive growing in my layered bed so far, and they seem perfectly happy even though it's not all broken down into compost yet.
That would be a great idea! I was going to say check with your city and see if they make compost. Our city collects all the leaves etc to make compost and then sells it back to the customers cheap! Your veggie garden is going to be wonderful! I can't believe it snowed there though! It is 90+ here today!!!!
CiNdEeS' GaRdEn
That is what we do with all our raised beds and it works fine. We never could have made enough compost for them otherwise. It works a little better if we mulch the leaves with the lawn mower before putting them in the raised bed but we have also put them in whole and it has been ok.
Cinj, From your pictures, it looks like you live in a pretty wooded area. Go out in a place where there are leave piled up. Rake them a bit and load up on some of that awesome leaf mold. Your new garden will love it.
Sorry I wasn't quick with a suggestion. I was going to suggest ageed cow manure, and the hay that's always laying around where cows eat, but I'm sure horse manure is about the same.
Haha! I love the thought of you out there in the snow! Come to think of it, wasn't that one of the stories CNN carried... crazy woman found gardening in the snow...!
I'm sorry about that snow--eeek. It's about 65 here today and 80 by the weekend. Looks like you have gotten good advice. I was going to suggest you go out under the trees and bring that in to amend. It will be yummy.
I love all of the suggestions here! It has given me some new ideas too. Sorry about your snow! I have heard of lasagne gardening; it sounds easy and you are well on your way!
Post a Comment