Momma's Garden

For a long time I've been pining for a small plot of earth to grow something good to eat. For the past few weeks we've been gathering the things we need to turn an otherwise useless bit of land in our small yard into a full fledged garden. Originally I had decided that pots were the way to go, but Andy convinced me that a small raised garden was actually possible.

Everything came together on Mother's Day weekend, and by the time the sun had set on Sunday our little sprouts were snug in their bed.

Here's what we did:

Andy spray painted an outline of the garden perimeter. Then he used fiberglass profiles to create the walls of the bed. He dug trenches to establish the depth of the bed and to ensure that all the walls were level.
He drove stakes into the ground to support the walls, and brackets to connect each side.

Then he lined the inside with commercial WeedStop fabric.

We filled our bed with 40 bags of topsoil and 20 bags of garden soil. Then mixed it up.

A new early morning ritual--these plants are thirsty

Then we stretched another (cheaper) weedStop layer across the entire bed, and cut holes into which we planted each seedling. This extra step not only prevents weeds from taking space and nutrients from your veggies, but it also serves to trap heat which the plants love--or so I've heard.

I used the Virginia Cooperative Extension to research the best plants for our climate and region, as well as to know which plants were in season, and how best to layout the garden. This Vegetable Planting Guide pdf was the most helpful. In our small space we planted about 25 seedlings, each 2 feet apart. We decided to plant cherry tomatoes, sweet peas, zucchini, yellow squash, yellow peppers, cucumber bushes, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

On a separate morning, Roscoe and I planted our pots: strawberries; spearmint, peppermint, and mojito mint; and sage, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, and basil. I'm already looking forward to mint lemonade, and peppermint tea.

All that's left is the landscaping around the bed. We've been told that marigolds will attract bees, which will help to pollinate our plants and hopefully ensure a good harvest.

I am loving having a reason to go outside, and to hang out in our backyard. We've already learned the value of having a small space out of doors--we've spent more time getting our hands dirty together, and chatting with our neighbors in the last three days than we typically do in a month. There are few things that make me happier than the simplicity of growing food to enhance family and community dynamic. I feel like this garden is just the start to an amazing summer ahead.

Yesterday afternoon Merritt snoozed with the dog, while Roscoe and I tended to our plants.