Summer has been such a great season this year. For me it started coming together in late spring when I decided to make raised garden beds. After seeing step-by-step instructions in
Sunset Magazine on line, I decided to give it a go. It was easier than I thought. I bought the lumber at Home Depot and had them cut it into the lengths that I needed. Next, I laid it all out in the garage on a rainy weekend and stained the lumber the same color as my fence. I measured and marked with string the location of the two beds. My father came over one weekend and helped me to screw it all together. This was the most difficult part of the project, so make sure you have a helper and drill bits that are long enough.
I added a paver walk way to keep the area tidy--lot's of digging, leveling and measuring (and a sore back) and it turned out just how I wanted it. Then I replanted lavender shrubs in front for the bees,
Once the beds were in place, I needed to augment the soil. Several bags later with tossing and turning it all in, I was ready to plant starts. Tomatoes--three types, beets, peppers, cucumbers, Swiss chard and basil are now flourishing and the garden is producing delicious fresh vegetables. I do need to learn how to grow lettuce as the last two seasons' efforts have not been as good as I had hoped.
What I learned this summer:
- How to prune basil to make it more productive.
- Before the first frost, uproot the entire tomato plant, turn upside down and hang in root cellar or garage and tomatoes will continue to ripen.
- Contain your tomatoes in cages or they will get out-of-control.
- If you want to start from seeds, start them indoors in March.
- How to convert pop-up sprinkler heads to drip.
- How to make a nice walkway in front of the beds.
