Sleep in the Beds

The beds are finally complete (well, for the most part)!

I spent about 3 1/2 hours today, with approximately 2,000 pounds of peat moss, compost, and vermiculite, "making" soil today. I ache all over :)

Here's a picture of me preparing some soil. You can see all the bags of soil-materials (that isn't even all of it).

From Blog Photos

Instead of weedblocker, which is outrageously expensive, I just laid down a lot of newspaper under the beds. This will, over time, decompose into the ground. At that point, well, who knows...

Here's the completed beds. Yes, I know the tomato cages are upside down.

From Blog Photos

Last, I leave you with a pic of my complex rainwater collectors. See, the way it works is:

1. The bottom bucket fills up with water.
2. I put the lid on the bottom bucket.
3. I put the other bucket on top.
4. That bucket fills up with water.
5. I put the lid on that bucket.
6. No more rain collects in the buckets.

It's complex, I tell you.

From Blog Photos

In the next week or so we'll begin planting a few vegetables. Hopefully I'll still be able to move.

Beautiful Weather

The past week's weather has been phenomonal. It's a shame it can't stay this way year round :)

After next weeks paycheck, I should hopefully be able to finish off all the purchasing for the garden. Because I went with a 10" wide boards for raised beds, it's considerably more soil that needs to be "made."

Side note - I have had the seed-pots going for just under a week now, and "Mel's Mix" (soil) has absolutely amazing water-holding capabilities.

I also realized I should probably put down some weed-blocker under the beds, as a way to take a little work out during the summer. Add those to the list...

I am still working on a *secret* rainwater collector. *Secret* meaning none of the neighbors can know it's collecting rainwater. I have a trash can on the back porch, and I have a 20 gal. black tub which I'm going to set next to it. If I remove the lid and attach some screen material, it should collect rain runoff from the roof. I'm just not sure how much it will collect. I need a big rain here soon to test it.

Thanks for stopping in!