Phillips Ponderings: Our Own Plot of Earth

This spring, Kyper and I wanted to start a garden for the summer. We decided it would be good to make raised gardens as our lawn has a history of grubs. So, Kyper and I went to the lumber yard in our pick-up--oh wait, I mean our mini-van (it felt like a pick-up since it can haul. I can fit 12 ft boards in it with only 8in hanging over the bumper. I've never been so impressed with a mini-van). We got 2x6 pretreated boards and 2x4's for the studs.

When we got home, I got out my power saw (which honestly has not gotten as much use as I would like), and we cut the wood to size. Kyper got to help me screw the frames together after I pre-drilled all the holes. The frames came together quite nicely to make two 2x4 ft beds that are 1 ft deep (stacking the 2x6's on top of each other).

Putting the frames together

2 weeks ago, we added landscape fabric to the bottom, to contain the dirt and keep out weeds/grubs. We added 12 cubic feet of soil to the beds. Now I can proudly say I am a landowner...I own 16 sq feet of dirt. Unfortunately, it is on top of the the lot I am renting.

Then we waited for the weather to warm up.

I had started seeds growing in pots in early March. The plants were growing well in Anja's room, as she has a lot of morning sun come in. But, then nesting kicked in, and my plants got kicked out. They were relegated to the basement, so we could get the room ready for Anja. Too bad for the plants, all but the pepper plants died, and they were stunted. So, most of the garden was bought at Meijers as seedlings.

On Saturday, Kyper and I planted the garden. First we planted 4 tomato plants (one cherry tomato), the basil, and the cayenne pepper plant we bought from meijers. As I proceeded to transplant my tiny bell pepper plants I had grown from seed, Kyper decided to plant the entire seed packet of cucumbers in 1 corner (marked off by bamboo in the picture). We'll see how well those grow! I was not sure if I was going to plant the cucumber in the beds or in its own pot as it has a propensity to grow wildly. I guess Ky made the decision for me! Also in the box, we have plenty of beans planted. I wanted to plant some maize since it was Cinco de Mayo, but had not yet prepared that ground along the garage--so that happened on Tuesday. I will have 1 row of corn, which I am growing kinda as an experiment; I'll let you know how that turns out too.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the event.