Gardening makes me so happy.
Something about it just feels wholesome and good. Putting your hands in the soil and being able to grow food for your family to consume- for me its a very relaxing and rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to create a new hobby to share with your kids. My children really enjoy our garden and get SO excited when we go to harvest- especially my little girl!
Over the past 2 years my family has been in transition and I have not been able to cultivate my usual spring garden and let me tell you-
I have missed it so very much.
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We are now all moved into our new home and one of the top priorities for our backyard this past winter was for me to get a garden area ready to go for this spring.
Well, spring is here and my garden is ready to go!
Here is how I did it:
My materials list:
- 6- 8 ft treated 2 x 8 boards
- 20 bags of soil (I used Black Velvet brand planting soil)
- white exterior paint
- plants of choice
Tools:
- power saw
- power drill/screwdriver
- rake
- paint brush
- gardening gloves
Directions:
First, I selected the optimal area of yard to use. For me, it was my side yard. This area is a good size, located right by our shed (for easy access to my tools) and gets a good amount of morning sun with a bit of relief in the harsh afternoon sun. After I had planned it out in my mind, I prepped the area by removing grass and weeds. I actually decided to make 2 smaller garden beds instead of one larger one. This allows me to access all the plants much easier.
I then got my husband to install the boards in place. To start, my husband cut 2 of the boards in half and set them up along the fence into 2 rectangles. Then we just screwed each board together and also screwed them directly into the fence.
Then I filled the beds with soil and raked it all into place. I would recommend a combination product that contains both soil and compost (like Black Velvet brand). For my garden it took about 20 bags to fill both beds to the desired depth.
Then it was time to plant!! In my garden I planted cherry and grape tomatoes, many varieties of peppers, ornamental lettuces, strawberries, herbs, zucchini, squash, and cucumber. I also decided to “accessorize” my garden by white-washing it, adding garden markers (that I made from leftover deck railing materials and paint), and a cute sign. To white- wash it, I used an exterior paint mixed (1:1) with water and just roughly brushed it on. Ta-Daaaaaa!
I’m very please with how it turned out aesthetically, now lets see how much it can produce!
I’ve had luck with each of these plants in my past gardens in central Texas, but this is my very fist garden living this far South. So, it will be a season of trial and error to see what does well.
Any advice from experienced coastal bend gardeners??
Wish me luck!
Happy Spring Gardening mommas!
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