We're finally starting to settle in to
our new little home, so I figured it was about time for an update!
This has been my project for about the
last month:
I ordered the raised beds on amazon (here) because we don't own a saw and I wasn't feeling particularly inspired
to build my own beds (that and I've been spending way too much
time—and money—at Home Depot lately). These were super easy to
put together and work really well (you don't really need any tools because the sides just
slide right into the posts).
After putting them together, I asked
around and found out that there's a good bulk soil company across the
bridge, so my father-in-law and I headed over there one day, rented a
dump truck, and hauled 2.5 cubic square yards of soil back—talk
about an adventure! Then, my wonderful husband ever so kindly
shoveled all of the soil from our driveway to the beds (he's amazing).
Then: planting time! I'll be honest, I
wasn't sure what to plant, especially since it was June, which is
kind of an awkward time to start planting. In this climate, most
seedlings go in at the start of spring (March-April) or start of Fall
(Sept-Oct), depending on your crop. But, I was eager to get started,
so I bought a few starter plants (tomatoes, bell pepper, basil, sage,
parsley, cucumbers, and a pumpkin). I also planted some lettuce seeds.... but they never came up. I'm thinking they might have been pushed too
deep because of the watering, so I'm going to try starting some
indoors and then transferring them out to the garden in a few months.
This is my first real gardening
experience so I'm definitely learning as I go. Regardless of how it
all turns out, I'm finding that I love working with dirt—there's
something so therapeutic about digging my fingers in the rich dark
soil that nourishes my plants. Also, I love the joy that comes from
nurturing a plant and watching it grow and blossom.
My obsession with dirt also meant that
one of the first purchases I made when we moved to a place with a
yard was a compost bin! I bought this at my local garden supply
store, put it together (with some help from my little companion gardener--see below), and tucked it in the backward by our fence:
All of our vegetable scraps and yard
waste go in here. It requires just a little watering every few days
to keep it nice and moist, but that's it. Otherwise, we just let the
ants, flies, worms and other little critters do their job of
decomposing everything into a nutrient-rich compost. I think in about
6-8 months I'll be able to use some of the compost that will have accumulated at the bottom of the bin. My eventual goal is to have a self-sustaining garden,
where I won't need to buy soil or organic fertilizer anymore because
I'll just be able to use my own compost to amend my current soil.
It's been a lot of fun to finally have a yard. I know my little pumpkin has been loving it, too, especially now that the weather is warm. The best part is that we are completely out of the fog now since we are further south, so basically every single day has been sunny, clear, and beautiful since we moved here two months ago. I wonder if this means the winter will be even milder?
Happy gardening, ya'll!
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