Adventures in Raised Gardening: Part 2 - Supplies and Preparation

Ok, so let me just say this project was A LOT bigger than I thought it was going to be.  I think that it is one of the bad things about Pinterest is that you think, "Oh, this will be so easy!  I can do that!"  While yes we were going to do it, the process was much longer drawn out than I thought it would be!

So first, the planning.  The first thing I did was plant some seeds in a seed pod thing that we actually bought last year and didn't ever end up using.  I planted tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce, spinach, and banana peppers.

Then I mapped out where and how big I wanted my gardens to be.  I wanted them away from the house but with plenty of room around them to walk and sit when actually gardening.  I decided on two 4 by 8 foot beds made two cinder blocks high.  Our house faces West and the bed are on the side of the yard that gets the most sunlight for all my full sun plants!  Then we went to our local nursery, and asked lots of questions.  They were so helpful and we left with a list of what we would be back to buy once the yard was more prepared to handle all of the soil we would be needing.

Here was our list of supplies:
72 4x4x8 cinder blocks (I went with the skinnier ones so they would take up less space)
2 cubic yards of top soil
2 bags of peat moss
5 bags of mushroom compost
2 bags vermiculite

We also had to get a wheelbarrow, a flat-head shovel, and a stamper. All told the supplies came to around $300 dollars.  It's a big investment up front, but I figure next year we will just have to add a little compost and we will be good to go.  Here's the hubby pushing the cinder blocks through Lowes.

Next we had a lot of digging to do.  We had to scalp the yard of the grass.  First we measured out the space.  Then I dug out the outline by myself.  then the hubby came in and did the grunt work. I promise, I helped.  He's just not into taking pictures while working!

Now our space is ready for the bricks and soil!!!

Who could forget our little garden baby!  Isn't she the cutest ????

Adventures in Raised Bed Gardening - Part 1

When we moved into our house in August 2009, I was so excited that there was some space right next to the house for a little garden.
My mom had grown tomatoes growing up and it was always fun to go out and pick the sweet red cherry tomatoes and eat them before we could get inside.  I knew that come spring, I wanted to a garden of my own.  With the help from my wonderful hubby we set to work that first spring to create a garden.

The space is about 15 ft by 3 ft. Over the past 3 summers, I've grown strawberries, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, chives, sage, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, cabbage, spinach, and probably something else I'm forgetting.  I never grow very much of any one thing, but it's always part of my spring/summer that I look forward to.

This year, I've been Pinspired to create a raised bed.  My gardening board on Pinterest is a source of great information and fun ideas.  I knew I wanted to do something totally different this year.  I wanted first to move my garden away from the house because I can't get to the backside of it and the weeds always grow back there.  I also really wanted to take a stab at a raised bed. I've seen lots of different versions of raised beds - pre-made kits, fence posts, plain wood, and cinder block. For my garden, this year I've decided to use cinder blocks for my raised beds.  These are some of my pins that pinspired me!

I'm so excited to get started!  I've got my list of supplies, my layout planned, and my seeds planted (indoors)!  I can't wait to show off the process and progress of my new gardens! Our last freeze date is April 15 so this next week, I will be in full garden mode!  

Hello, Again!

So...It’s been awhile since I blogged.  Nothing makes you busier than being a new mom.  I’m on my last week of maternity leave and what better way to end my time at home than to pick back up blogging?  Like I don’t need anything else to keep me busy.

Being a mom is the best job in the world.  My sweet little Ainsleigh is the light of my life.  She is growing so fast!!!  She has been a wonderful baby and is so very happy!  She is a petite but healthy little girl.  There have definitely been some trying times, like realizing your daughter doesn't like processed meats after a great hot dog or the fact that she always has major blowouts in my favorite zebra pants - literally, 3 times!  But when she smiles, and rolls over, and practices her wuh, wuh, Webber everything is right in the world.  Here are a few of her newborn and 3 month pics from my amazing photographer friend Katie Brockmeyer.

There are so many more pictures I could post, but I want to get back to the reason I started this blog.

Back to the blog...

My original purpose of this blog was to share the projects I've attempted from pinterest.  I am a self-proclaimed pinterestaholic and am constantly going back to my boards to find new inspiration pinspiration.  That is my plan again.  I want to share what I am doing in my little world with a little help from Pinterest.  I have several projects that I will be ready to share in the coming days and I am so excited!!!  Stay tuned!