Humble Beginnings

I grew up as a small-town girl with a country heart.  As a child, I got in trouble for digging in the neighbors yard and spent many an afternoon wearing rain boots in the ditch in front of the house.  I had a wildflower garden and helped my grandmother with green beans.  After spending a few years in cities for school and work, I needed to get back out to farmland and cows.  Thank goodness I found a nice place of my own where I could get a dog and dig in the dirt.  The yardwork and gardening have taken over my spare time!  After using many other blogs as resources for my outdoor ideas and questions, I thought I would start my own.  I've definitely learned some things the hard way and hopefully others can benefit from the lessons.  Gardening is a hobby of mine and I certainly don't consider myself an expert, but so far I've had luck getting things to grow.  I look forward to sharing my tips with others and learning about their own gardening experiences!

My garden ideas started small.  I wanted a little raised area for some lettuce and green peppers.  The mess in the backyard had come with the house, so it took a lot of work to get a spot of land prepared.  Given that I now resided in the country, I wanted to keep with the local flavor and decided to invest in a metal tub for my garden!  Luckily I made friends in the neighborhood and managed to snag an old cattle trough with a rusted-out bottom from a local dairy.  I loved that the trough still had the label on the side.

After delivery, it was cleaned out, sprayed with a clear Rustoleum, and holes were drilled in the bottom for drainage.  To prepare the placement area, I leveled the ground, laid out yard fabric, and placed boards down.  The trough was set in place and large rocks were added to the bottom.  To aid with drainage and keep the dirt from filling the space between rocks, I covered them with yard fabric (that was recycled from the overgrown mess I was pulling up in the backyard). 

Then the real filling began - loads and loads of dirt, peat moss, manure, and fertilizer were layered in and stirred.  It took over 2,000 lbs to fill the trough!  Raised garden beds are great for root plants like carrots, onions, and radishes because the ground is soft, allowing them to easily grow.  No tilling required!  It's also convenient for anyone with a bad back or painful knees because it reduces bending and squatting to weed and check vegetables.

Finally, I added my spring cool-weather plants - broccoli, lettuce, and Brussels sprouts for the first year!  (Who knew Brussels sprouts took forever to grow and produce?!?)  And so my gardening adventures began....

"Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce" 

Jeremiah 29:5