I have always had a love for digging in the dirt, planting flowers, plants and food to grow. In the past I have mainly just grown flowers and perennial plants. Last summer was my first try at growing vegetables and a few melons. I built the raised garden beds by myself with an idea in my head and made it happen. I bet it took me twice as long as it would have for Tyler, but that is part of improvising and being me. I started out with just two beds last year. This year I built three more!! I also tried my hand at growing veggies in the ground besides just my raised beds. One thing I learned, the weeds are much more hard to control and it takes me forever to water it all. I have a plan to minimize that next year. I wanted my garden to be visually eye appealling to me. Take at look at my progress, this has been my work the last two years.
I built my first two beds out of old scrap wood in the barn. My last three I used cedar. Cedar withstands the elements much better than most woods. That is why I chose to use cedar, since I plan on gardening for many seasons to come!
This picture of the boys was early Spring 2015. They were helping me plant our greens. Lettuce, spinach, kale and arugula! We also planted onions, carrots, broccoli, snap peas and green peas.
Cold season veggies on the rise!
Greens!!
My last bed to build was the tiered bed. I actually ordered a kit and built it. My other beds had me cutting, measuring, sawing and nailing!
As the weather warmed up I had two little boys that loved to run around in the buff. I spy them in the pickup bed. They were assisting me in the garden as I worked to beautify it!
My new perennial Yarrow plants!
The beginning of a huge amount of work!
My corn popping up through the earth!
Snap peas fresh from the garden!
Green peas!
Midway through the growing season!
Skye the garden princess. She was so little here!
I found these cute chairs at Tractor Supply.
Hello Okra and black eyed peas!
Sweet corn! The wind was brutal to my corn. I think three or four times we had big rains with wind this summer that layed my corn flat. I would go out the next day and help it stand back up. Now I'm not sure if that was worth it or not!!
Yarrow coming along nicely.
We had this old rusted out bottom stock tank sitting in the barn. I thought I might as well use it for some beautiful flowers!! It was a happy tank!
Banana peppers, jalapeños, onion, corn, carrot and green/yellow beans! I love the veggies that you can leave in the ground and go get out of garden as you need them!
The dogs always seemed to be knocking down or stomping over my plants. As well as enjoying my water sessions!
A garden supper!
How beautiful is this! Gods handiwork indeed! It was our first fog of the year! I went out early to water and this spider had attached his web to my chair and up onto a tree branch.
Front yard bliss.
My little tin gal pal.
Progress on late fall color plants.
Perennials with a few annuals mixed in.
The butterfly's, bee's and a few hummingbirds have frequented this part of the garden! A garden can't function without bee's!! I love having plants that can assist them to keep coming back and pollinating the plants!
My sweet little mum bed starting to put on its fall colors!
My cowboy's!!
It seems as September rolls around I am ready for my break in the yard and garden. It never fails, I grow tired of watering and picking. Then come spring I'm ready to go at it again. I can say that my hobby is this: Digging, planting, watering, waiting, watching, nourishing, eating....repeat!!! Happy Fall y'all!! Actually fall begins in four days!! I am ready for my winter break!!
