A Raised Garden Project 2

My little project is beginning to take shape. When we left the last episode I mentioned trying to find free dirt to finish filling the raised box and had planted the seeds I planned for my garden. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

On the free dirt front I quickly discovered that finding work sites willing to give it didn't exist, at least not when I needed it. And then the thought came to me that I pay taxes every year to say I own land so why not put some of that land to use. Looking around I realized that I had the perfect spot for great compost right under my nose. There was a spot near the edge of my backyard and under an oak tree that had soil that was pristine and just waiting for me to use it.

I had to dig a shallow hole because there is no overhead wiring in my area and everything electrical is underground. So shallow it was and the dirt was a great compost of the decomposed leaves that had fallen from the oak tree over the years. In no time I was able to top off the first box and knew where to go for the second.

And here we have the completely filled first box. As I leveled the dirt in place I found myself thinking how easy it will be to check the veggies and weed once the growing season is underway. The box is high enough that I could even take the "lazy man" approach and place a chair near the box to manipulate the plants and work the soil. Doesn't get any easier than that!

If you look over to the right of the picture you can see my shallow hole. I later filled it with leaves from other parts of the area to let nature do her work to replace the soil taken. 

I also learned from my father and a previous gardening season, that it is best to plant with the moon. Little did I know using this approach I would plant one day and 4 days later have seedlings. As you can see from the photo not all have come up yet but the majority have. I wanted to grow my own seedlings because I heard a report that bees possibly are being killed off by seedlings from big box stores. I don't know if that is true but I decided to do as much as possible from scratch and see how well it worked.


Next installment: Sectioning off the raised box  and planting the seedlings

The Constant Gardner Returns: Liftoff !

I feel like an old hand at this gardening stuff now after my bumper crop last year. And, I am pleased that I got my seedlings into the ground and things are moving along.

However, I am also finding out there is still more to learn this time around, despite my new found knowledge. As usual click each photo for a better view.

Despite a continuation of drought conditions in this area, my seeds have sprung to life and growing.

The tomatoes are leading the pack followed by the cucumbers. If you look closely at the photo below you can see the beginnings of a few tiny cucumbers.

I'm really glad Daddy let drop a few words of wisdom when he questioned last year that I was planting without the moon. At that time I found it odd and thought it was a little gamesmanship on his part. But, I did a little research and found out there is a body of knowledge that supports his statement.

Evidently planting by the moon is as old as man and some people swear by it. For plants that grow above ground it is thought that planting them during a waxing moon will encourage growth as this exposes plants to the longest period of moon light.

So I guess I did something right when I planted my seeds and seedlings. When I told Daddy this he just smiled with a caginess that said he might be old but time and tide were on his side in this competition.