« A new little craft buddy. | Main | Just a reminder... »
21 April, 2008A beginning
Saturday was so perfect, weather-wise. My brother Noah came over to give me my birthday gift, the use of his truck and assistance in building a square foot garden box to hold my veggies this spring & summer! We made a quick trip to the hardware store and headed back to the house to get to work.
I get an immense amount of satisfaction out of making things myself, especially when it’s something a lot of people would hire help for or buy pre-fab, so I was really excited about this project. I took an interest in organic gardening (and really growing things in general) this year and when I heard about square foot gardening on a messageboard a few months ago, I thought it would be ideal due to our compacted, sandy, acidic soil. I promptly bought the book and read up on the square foot gardening method. I thought it made sense space-wise and decided to go ahead with it.
Building this was super simple. You attach four 4-foot 2x6 boards in the shape of a box, throw down some weed cloth, fill it with soil and apply a 1x1 foot grid. Then plant away!
I started a lot of seedlings around the first of March, I’ve already transferred marigolds, nasturtiums, lettuce and strawberries to the box. The strawberries are doing awesome and we even had one perfectly ripe berry which I had planned to split with Jimmy on Friday. We took Kyla to the beach for a walk, and while we were there, Jimmy asked if I’d eaten the strawberry (we’d both been keeping an eye on it). I said no, that I’d planned to get it when we got home. Apparently someone beat us to it. I suspect a squirrel because someone’s also been digging in my container pots. I need to mulch them.
My chives are blooming too!
I need to put some trellis net on the metal frame we put behind the box so when I move my tomatoes outside they can climb. Other than that it’s ready to go! I can’t wait to see how this progresses, it’s my first try at gardening and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot. What are you guys growing this year?
Comments
This is fantastic! I started some seedlings in my apartment but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them now that they're growing since I don't think the soil around my building is in very good shape. If I had more space I would love to build one of these.
It looks great! Nice job with the beds your plants are going to grow so nicely.
It looks great! Nice job with the beds your plants are going to grow so nicely.
i love kyla's "smile" - it cracks me up every time i see it.
your garden looks sooooo nice! i can't wait to see the pics of what you grow.
i don't have a yard or anything, but every year i plant flowers on my balcony planter: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/518155094_29457717c8.jpg
and when i say "i plant", i mean my dad does it and i sit inside watching trading spaces.
p.s. i got your invitation and it is sooo beautiful! two people were at my house, and it was sitting on my kitchen table, and they both were RANTING and RAVING about what a beautiful invitation it is!
awesome. i can't wait until i have a place to grow. right now i only have herbs in little pots.
I wanted to plant a vegetable and herb garden this year so badly, but our yard (and the yards of our neighborhood) are is completely overrun with rabbits. I'm afraid I'd do all of the work and not get any of the reward!
You might want to check out folia as a place to keep track of your gardening. It's like ravelry, only for plants! (And if you do join, add me as a gardening buddy. I'm bessicajach there.)
Nasturtiums are some of my favorite flowers and I love that they're edible, too. And they produce so many seeds, which is fun.
I worked on my 1st garden on Saturday as well! My grandfather built me a small planter box & my mother & father brought it over & helped me clean up my yard. I have to plant carefully in foggy San Francisco, but I think I'm going to try chard, lettuce, string beans, & some herbs.
Be careful with that weed cloth you mentioned- this makes it totally not organic! It is much better to use recycled cardboard or thick layers of newspaper to keep the weeds out (both considered acceptable organic methods). The weed fabric contains polyvinyl chloride, among other things, which will leak into the ground thus affecting the environment and the food you are growing. I was just reading something about this the other day when doing some research into using cardboard in beds.
Oh this is an AWESOME idea! I started some seedlings indoors (marigolds, tomatoes, and various herbs) and am not sure what to do with them. I may be moving before prime planting season up here, so perhaps, should I end up somewhere with limited garden space, I could try this method! Very cool!
Marissa, thanks I had no idea! The square foot gardening book specifically asks you to use this, and it is supposed to be all organic gardening! I'll do some research on this...
What a great idea! Forwarding your post to my sweetie right now!
Good job!
I am currently eating a salad with mixed greens, asparagus and radish from my plot.
I worked all weekend in my garden...it is a weedy mess. I set out acorn, butternut, yellow squash, zucchini, sunflowers, and cucs that I had sown in milk jugs and were ready to get out! I seeded 3 kinds of snap beans, swiss card, marigolds, and cosmos as well. I have a bunch of other stuff in milk jugs but they aren't big enough to transplant. My sugarsnaps are getting ready to start climbing up their TP. I scored some free 6x6's and made a small raised bed that I think will be home to some berries next year...with a net covering it!
Good luck and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
I Also, thanks for turning me on to letterboxing. I had my after-school 6th-graders carving out their own stamps today, and I hope to hide a box with them next week. Very fun!
Whoops! That's what the preview button is for! I accidentally cut off this part of my comment:
I LOVE the Square Foot Gardening book! Your garden looks *gorgeous*, and I'm sure it will be delicious too. Homegrown is the best.
Lots of green tomato varieties, also one albino pepper and some ancho chili peppers....I was told I can have the spot behind the shed that gets MASSIVE ammounts of full sun so plant some summer squash but I need to move the 4 sets of tires out of the way first.
Such fun! and gorgeous photos too! we have a few veggies starting outside - mainly root veggies like turnips, radishes, carrots, and beets. The tomatoes, peppers, squash, and herbs are waiting until mid-May. ;)
hey, thats cool! I'll have to remember that for if/when we ever have a house (lots of sand around here, too) thanks!!
UGH i am sooo jealous that you have a yard! mike and i aren't buying a house until after our wedding next year, so no garden until then. i am very lucky though because a farmer's market is opening up a mile away from me at the forest hill park, which is where we walk tobey on nice days.
i recieved your invitation and we are very excited! see you in june!
Angela moyer fort http://angela-moyer.barerube.cn >moyer Angela tolbert
