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Garden beds are ready!
It’s spring, it’s time to nest. I even bought a new bird home – though I don’t know what species we have in Phoenix that could fit in this home entrance.
Raised garden bed corners are so convenient – these are 10″ deep and we bought them from Gardeners.com. All you have to do is buy 2×10’s at whatever desired length and they slide right in (if you get the 10″ deep corners). Amazing! I wouldn’t recommend going much wider than 4′ since you want to be able to reach the middle from both sides of the box. Of course our handyman Dennis helped. A few trellis’ for the peas and tomatoes to cling to, and it looks like something else is nesting in our grapefruit tree. It’s a dove nest. Guess the birdhouse was too small.
So the garden beds needed someway to block out the weeds – the Bermuda and nut grass and so of course I asked Caroline if weed block even worked and she recommended after we ripped out the grass to add 2-3 layers of cardboard down because it’s free, eco friendly, and will decompose giving the soil nutrients. We did about 4 layers – call me a weed hater because that’s what I am and so I was trying to be extra cautious.
For 3 – 4×4′ garden beds at 10″ deep, we had a mulch mix – dirt and sand mix essentially, delivered. It was about a yard and a half is what they called it and cost almost nothing, I believe about $100 including delivery. The delivery was twice as much as the mulch itself and when you buy that much, there’s no way you want to get it in bags. You need it in bulk! So at 7 a.m., Mr. Wonderful asked the guy in the dump truck to back up in our alley and dump it there. We got our mound of dirt from Preach Landscape. About 4-5 wheelbarrow fulls filled each 4’x4′ raised bed.
I cheat, or more like, I’m efficient. I bought the seed tape from Gardeners.com. Imagine just taking a trowel, making a line in the dirt and then laying down the strip. Boom. Done. Only $5.
Mr. Wonderful bought an electric lawnmower from Lowe’s. This one Greenworks 13-Amp corded electric push lawn mower for $189. It’s crazy that it has a cord, but he really wanted the cheaper one and it works as long as you get a 150′ extension cord. It’s so quiet and he really likes it. It works much better when I stand in the middle of the yard and hold the cord so it doesn’t get tangled. It’s not exactly fun, but I suppose it’s the least I could do if he’s pushing the thing.
Tada. Done. We now hope to grow: cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, strawberries, artichokes, carrots, lettuce, green onions, green beans, snap peas, red and green peppers and jalapeno. Our herbs are in the raised herb boxes that divide out patio to the yard. As for watering them, I bought two Raised Bed Snip-n-Drip soakers on a timer and secured them with Earth staples.
Tomato ladders and willow trellises, both from Gardeners.com.
Equipment used: 5D Mark III and 50mm/1.2 lens
Diana Elizabeth has allergies and kept sneezing and blowing her nose as she worked in the garden. This is not a mutual loving relationship that’s going on. Perhaps Zyrtec can help counsel the two.
Mailinh
Uh…talk about telling Martha to move over… ;) Diana: Love the garden and how it’s all coming along. You are a true trooper with your allergies. I would totally call it a day and stay inside. :)