Making My Garden Grow

That looks like a lot of work and we are just getting started.

In a previous post, I wrote about building a box for a raised bed and digging out all the weedy dirt. 





We made it 12x12 because my husband did not want to do any sawing. Actually, he didn't want to do the bed at all.  

Dottie Belle is sniffing the dirt for quality control.

So I am happy with what he will do; because I have never touched a skill saw and have enjoyed having 10 fingers.  After the box was made and the bad dirt eliminated, we bought 40 bags of dirt; actually 20 bags of cow manure and 20 bags of topsoil. 

 Don and I worked together emptying the bags.  I spread several layers of newspaper in hopes of discouraging any remaining weeds from sprouting, while Don spread the dirt. I think BS and Dottie Belle were going to turn those boxes into goat manure. We realized we would need at least 40 more.  So I went back to the store, while Don took a break. 

 After I had climbed up in the truck and unload 30 bags and spread them; I could not do 1 more bag.  I went in the house and told Don that I had spread 30 of the second load, could he please do the last ten?  He said, "That's impossible.  You did not just spread 30 bags by yourself."  Well, I was very proud of my stupid, stubborn self.  And he could not believe what he saw. So he was happy to do the last 10. But even 80 bags were not enough for a 12x12 bed. I understand that I could have figured this out mathematically ahead of time.  But I like for reality to descend upon me slowly.  To know how much work and money is involve ahead of time would likely stop the project altogether.  We did all of this on Saturday.

On Sunday, I decided that in order to reach the plants, I was going to have to divide this box into fourths.  I then brought the level of 1/4 of the bed up to the proper level.  In that quadrant I planted 18 broccoli plants, 24 Texas sweet red onions and in the middle sowed spinach seeds. You see I can't wait to plant something, so when I made the second trip to Lowe's for the dirt, I bought the broccoli and onions.

Broccoli on the outside, the onions, and spinach in the center.

Then I realized that I have to solve another problem.  











How to keep the goats, and even harder, the chickens out of my garden? Boy am I glad that I don't think of all these issues ahead of time. With previous gardens, I didn't own goats and the chickens stayed in the coop.  I was too afraid to let them roam around the yard. Now that they have tasted freedom, there will be no going back. They almost knock me over every morning to get out.

Oh look!  They made us a lovely dusting box.

So thinking quickly and using what I have on hand (I was way too dirty to go to any store) I put the cones I use to cage tomato plants and made a barrier to keep the critters out until I come up with something better.

Spinach sprouts after 9 days! Not ready for a salad.

Nine days later the spinach seeds have sprouted! 












I'm still working on a better solution for keeping the chickens out.  Hopefully, I will need the cones for tomatoes. Today Don stopped by Lowe's and bought 20 more bags of dirt. 

 So soon we really will be "dirt poor" if we keep this up.

Dig It

 Wow! The weather here has been in the upper 70's and it even hit 80 this week.  Tuesday, Don and I dug all the weed infested dirt out and set the frame for the raised bed garden.  You can see Kennedy was our little helper.
The chickens also helped us rid the garden of a lot of fat juicy grub worms.

I cannot believe how the grandsons and their friends have been entertaining themselves for years digging holes.  I even bought Connor, age 5, a small shovel for Christmas.  Chase has been digging one hole for about 5 years.  He used to be able to hide in it.  A few weeks ago he read a book about kids digging tunnels, so he decided he was going to dig another one and connect the 2 with a tunnel.  Well, his father axed that plan after he realized what great progress the boys were making.  We were afraid that it might cave in on one of them.  Never the less, most afternoons the grandsons and a couple of friends can be found digging in my side yard.  I don't believe I would have let my own kids dig up my yard, but whatever the grandchildren want to do is just great.



















You can see they are still in their school uniforms.  Also, they are wearing shorts in February.


















The tunnel goes about 3 feet.

Our soil is mostly clay, so they have also been making bricks.

This and That

My dear husband works a lot of hours - that's 70 hours one week and 32 the next.  This is after his 3rd job played out.  So this past week he took off--that's the little 32 hour job.  He needed some time off!  Good for him to take care of himself.  So we did a few things I had on my honey do list.  
First we hung the adorable signs that my friend, Sharon, made for me.

Same sign, I just took the picture from 2 angles.

The girls weren't sure about it and tried to eat it.

Finally 

We bought lumber and made a box for our raised bed vegetable garden project. I'm going to set it in the ground, dig out all the weed infested dirt, put down a thick ground cover and fill with bagged soil. I am so tired of growing vicious weeds that strangle everything I plant.  Wish me luck. 

The rest of the time, Don got to do what he wanted to do, well mostly.