Day 3: Done Before the Rain Came...

Thursday morning I realized that it wasn't raining and I snuck outside to start working even before the kids woke up.  It may have been a bit chilly, but with 3 kids, I have to steal every moment that I can sometimes.


I started with the beds.  I built 3 triangle beds of cedar.  Lowe's carries cedar, but Home Depot doesn't.  My husband mentioned that you can use other hard woods.  Cedar is advantageous though for two reasons--1) it's cheaper (a lot!) than the other hard woods like poplar and Oak that they carry.  2) the smell of the cedar is unappealing to termites.

This bed I added on to my long rectangular bed.

I did have to run out to get more stakes to put around one of the beds but when I was finished, my triangle beds looked like this:

I know triangle beds are probably not the most economically wise use of the boards based on square foot of gardening space, but I made them in triangles instead of squares because my hope is that they will be easier for the kids to garden in and reach the center of.  The line down the middle is because one side belongs to each girl--it is their garden...to plant, to weed, to water, and to care for...  

I also planted the plants waiting to be planted.

I planted the azaleas around the rose bush hoping that it will keep little ones from touching the thorns of the rose bush.  I did forget to check the companion gardening book.  I hope the combination will be okay.  They are a partial sun flower which should work well in this spot, but will need a lot of water in the summer as it gets hot.

My raspberries are now planted.  They're bush raspberries, not trellised ones, so they look a little different.  

The last thing I did was fix the non-existent border on the side of our house.

I transplanted some bulbs (which are flopping down because they need to take root and get watered), an azalea bush, a hosta, and put a brick border in.  This is a funny spot sun wise.  So, although it is partial sun, it gets really hot in the summer so we'll see if the hosta and azalea make it.  There is another azalea nearby so I am hopeful.  If it doesn't, I'll try something else (a plant that needs and tolerates more sun).  I put in the bricks.  I bought simple plain bricks for 44 cents each.  I was amazed at how much just adding the line of bricks helped.  It defined the area.  

Gardening and landscaping, I've discovered are very expensive especially when you're beginning and you need so much.  What I've been trying to do with my garden is be as economical as I can and spread out the cost.  

Two years ago, I planted perennials in my front flower bed.  That was my first dabbling.  I highly recommend planting strawberries if they grow in your area because they've been super easy to grow.  The kids have loved picking of a few strawberries and watching the flowers bloom and then the strawberries develop.  They multiply and you only need to invest in a plant or two.  I think I bought 1 for the front bed the first year and 2 more the second year.  They now fill the flower bed which is probably 10 feet long.

Last year, we put in the fence, pebble walkway, brought in a load of dirt to raise the level near the house, put in the trellis and two square raised beds.  

This year I've added more raised beds, put in borders, bought a few more plants, bought more pebbles, and am hopefully going to build a compost bin next month.

Dirt Cheap Green Thumb talked about picking plants that are right for your cold hardiness zone and the sun that the area receives where you're planting.  Taking these two things into mind will save you a lot of money.  I have found this to be true.  The plants that haven't survived or haven't thrived weren't really the best plants to put in those areas.  I did lose my oregano last year to a disease, but I had that happen to another friend after her oregano was a few years old like mine.  I never used it, so I'm not going to replant it.  That was another tip I read and agreed with--plant things you're going to eat.  Something might sound appealing, but it isn't worth it if you won't use it.  I planted 3 herbs last year that I did nothing with.  I have a huge lemon balm plant outside that I have no idea what to do with!  It does look beautiful though.  

I've realized a few things this week about gardening.  

1) Start out small.  It's a lot more work than it looks like--to build it and take care of it.  I've been sore and tired after only a few hours of work!

2)  Small is doable.  A pot or adding a plant to a bed that's already made.

3) Plant a strawberry first.  

4)  If you have kids, get Kids Garden! and try one of their easy projects first. The book has lots of indoor and outdoor projects.  You can start gardening indoors and then move outdoors.  I'm learning, hopefully.  My girls have loved watching the geraniums grow in their room that we brought home from Longwood Gardens at a free children's activity.  Plants in your home are also good for the air quality in your house.

5)It's not as intimidating as it seems if you haven't gardened before.  Map the sun through the day in the area where you're going to plant.  Note if it drains well but also gets watered.  Pick plants based on how much sun the area gets.  Put tall plants in back and short ones in front (think about shadows from plants onto other ones).  Kids Garden! is the best book I found for explaining how to plant a plant.  Kids books are just simpler than adult books.  Water it in a bit after you plant it and then keep an eye on it.  Weed as needed.  Water as needed.  And enjoy watching it grow!  And last but not least, don't think that if it doesn't grow that you have a brown thumb.  Some or all of your plants may grow.  But, some may not.  Just start back at the beginning.  Think about why you think it might not have grown and try something else in that spot that might work better.

I'll keep you posted as things grow and as we plant... 

I'll also keep you posted on our composting efforts...

PS.  The best part of my gardening efforts this year is that last week, my husband commented about how horrible our yard looked (due to our dog digging everywhere) and the garden hadn't had a makeover yet.  When I took him out to see the final results of my efforts this week, he was pleased with the way the garden looks now.  He suggested putting vining plants around the fence instead of a shrub in the corner and I think it's a great idea.  He would like to help me plant and build the compost bin.  I think it was daunting to him how much needed to be done before I'd started.  

End of Day 2 and Gardening Books

Last year, I tried to put in some plastic edging in front of my deck and it did not work out.  It fell over constantly and wasn't very appealing.  So, I decided to go with bricks instead this year--something a bit more substantial...
Here is my result:

I think it looks better than it did before.  I also tried something new with the walkway.  Under the rocks, I put a layer of newspaper.  I read in The Vegetable Gardener's Bible that it's a good organic way to kill grass.  My husband doesn't like black paper so I thought it was a good solution.  Another tip I was given by my friend Jenny as a way to kill grass in walkways or areas you don't want them is to put black plastic (ie. trash bags) down for several days and let the sun kill the weeds.


Here's my new bed waiting for raspberries...

My plan is to plant them in there tomorrow. I put the Humus and top soil in, but haven't mixed it up very well yet.  This is not the perfect site (so don't do what I'm doing).  My side yard is pretty moist and raspberries prefer well draining soil.  I don't have another good option though so I'm going to hope for the best and hope that they will survive.  

I just looked again at these pictures and realized that they probably don't look like much.  They involved a lot of work!  I had no idea how much before I did it.  I have a new and deep appreciation for how hard landscapers work!  I also have no idea how my parents were able to keep up the huge garden that we had at our house when I was growing up.  It must have been a lot of work.  Good work.  Satisfying work, but work nonetheless.

I don't want to give anyone the impression that I know more than I do about gardening.  The truth is that I've been reading a lot and talking to people and now I'm taking the things I've been reading about and doing them.  Here's the books that have been helping me:

Dirt Cheap Green Thumb by Rhonda Massingham Hart

This book is great for sticking in your purse and taking with you where ever you go.  Read a few pages when you are waiting for a doctor's appointment or waiting to pick up your child from school.  The formatting is wonderful and makes it so easy to glean information.  It's concise and straightforward.  The first section is all about the absolutes (which I'm trying to follow as much as I can, but am doing imperfectly).  

I also like that this book has lots of handy charts.  Since it is small, it's easy to store and find room for on your bookshelf.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith

Last year for Mother's Day, my husband gave me.  It was kind of him, but the book completely overwhelmed me.  I wanted to dip my toes in the water and with that book you have to jump right in up to your shoulders.  Lots of reading and lots of information--though not everything you need.  It is a wonderful resource and covers lots of topics (it gave me the idea for the newspaper under the rocks).  It talks about mulching and sun.  But, because it is specifically for vegetables, there isn't a lot of information on herbs or flowers in it. So, I used it only a little last year.  I'm glad to have it and I've been opening it back up this year.  

Starter Vegetable Gardens by Barbara Pleasant

This book is a good place to start.  It has some great ideas of how to transition a garden and add on to it each year.  It has some wonderful information in it.  I especially like the first garden (the bag garden) because it avoids all the work of building raised beds from the beginning.  You make use of the dirt in the bags and develop your garden over a 3 year period.  I am realizing how wise this is after the 2nd day constructing my garden.  It is not as much work to maintain and plant in your garden as it is to build it!  The other plans are fun to look through and give lots of helpful information.  Each plan comes with a list of what you need (super helpful) and directions of how to build it.  The pictures of how to put in a tomato cage are very helpful!  This book is not as overwhelming as The Vegetable Gardener's Bible.  I also love the section on storing seeds.

  

The last book I have is one that I do recommend purchasing because you'll likely go back to it over and over if you have kids and pets.   But, it isn't a gardening book that covers everything.  It's called Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise Riotte.  Just like people, some plants like each other better than others.  There is a wealth of information in here about what you should plant with what.  The helpful chapter for gardeners with kids and pets is the list of plants that are poisonous or cause dermatitis.  I happen to have contact dermatitis and wear gloves whenever I garden.  There are quite a few plants that you shouldn't plant within the read of toddlers who put everything in their mouths or pets who won't leave your garden alone.  If you're interested in  companion gardening, this is a great book to look into.  

Back in March, I looked at a lot of gardening books.  I found several books written by authors in the UK and at the back of the book there was a note that you had to adjust the planting season by several months.  All of these books are written for the U.S. and so it is much easier to use the information that is area specific in them.  Storey books are a wonderful resource for gardening.  I have always been impressed by how they're written and the information in them.  The formatting is easy to navigate (some books even easier than others).  The font is clear and the headings make it easy to find what I'm looking for.  

If you're a new gardener like me, check these books out.  I hope they'll be helpful to you too!  I do have one more book that I ordered that I've been looking forward to.  It's called Tips for the Lazy Gardener, which also happens to be published by Storey.  I bought it based on the preview I saw and the realization that it is a lot of work to garden, so if there's anything I can do to make it easier, that would be great!  I'll post a note about it soon hopefully!

Please note that I did receive complimentary copies of Starter Vegetable Gardens and Dirt Cheap Green Thumb from Storey Publishing for review.  They have been very valuable resources.  

Day 1 Gardening: Survivors and Casualties

The kids and I began our week of gardening yesterday.  We combined the two raised beds that I had and began weeding.  Autumn was more persistent than Sami.  Eli only wanted to dig into the dirt and throw it out of the bed.  My parsley that had survived the winter was one of his first casualties.  I also got the area mowed.  My friend Jenny came over to talk to me about our garden.  We talked about a lot of things, but the first big one was that I need to map the sun--which I need to run and begin right now.  


One of the main ideas from a book I'm reading, Dirt Cheap Green Thumb by Rhonda Massingham Hart, is to pick the right plants for the right areas.  One of the first things the book recommends is mapping the area of your garden as full sun/partial sun/shade.  It doesn't say to make a map hour by hour as my friend advised me.  She has taken that one step farther--after all how do you figure out if it's full sun unless you observe it and write down your observations?  I was glad to already have the idea in my head from the book and then have her reinforce to me how much it matters.  The point of mapping the sun is that if you don't put plants where they like to be, it will be a waste of time, energy, and money.  Put them where they want to be and you'll be happier--and so will they! 


I learned this last year when I put some hostas in a spot that they did not like!  They quickly withered and faded. Lesson learned.


So, that is my task today:  to map the hours of sun in different areas of my garden.
My other tasks are to weed my existing beds in front of the deck and make another trip to Lowe's for supplies to build my raspberry bed and the raised beds for the kids.  


I was surprised at how I was tired after 2 1/2 hours yesterday of hard work in the garden.  Wow!  What a wimp I am! I can't imagine how strong farmers from days of old must have been (and how strong their children must have been).


Book Note...we did open up the book I mentioned yesterday Kids Garden! and I learned why the tasks are so simply planned.  The kids listened to the circular poem I read them, looked at the page with the tools and their descriptions, and read with me what weeds are (my older daughter knew exactly what the definition was from her science!).  Then my older daughter began weeding and my middle daughter used the kids shovel I bought at Lowe's (a great investment for $4--not plastic) to help me move the raised beds closer together and combine them.  My 3 year old son wandered around and eventually settled into his sand box (after killing my parsley).  


Post Script...
I just looked out the window and realized that it is overcast.  I won't be able to map the sun today!  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for it.  I guess that is going to need to be delayed. But, it is supposed to rain and Dirt Cheap Green Thumb notes in the first chapter that you need to test how well the water drains in your garden (with an easy test) and I will likely be able to do that after today!