I am pretty excited to share about this new venture with you.
I mentioned in my last garden post that our family will be starting a new project. I’ll be telling you all about it and showing it to you from start to finish.
We were blessed to connect with such a sweet family that we met through our homeschool co-op (I will only be using the first letter of their last name for privacy purposes). When we went to their home we were admiring their land and all of the fruit trees and things that were planted.
They told us when their children were younger they used to have chickens, goats and the whole homestead scene. Once they got older and were no longer available to help with the work, the decision was made to let go of the animals and the extra labor.
I thought it was funny when Mrs. B explained to us when it finally hit her. She was milking a goat in the rain and said to herself
Why am I doing this? I can just go to the store for milk. I can just go to the store to buy eggs.
I can only imagine how much harder the work got with less hands to help keep the land and tend to the animals.
As we were talking, we were looking out at their garden space which already had fencing around it and a built in water system which is amazing.
Mr. B wanted to begin gardening again, especially with his youngest daughter and with his grandchildren frequently visiting. He told us they would be getting out there around Memorial Day to begin the work.
I saw an opportunity for us to learn from experienced gardeners. After my first year’s experience I knew I had a lot to learn and knew I could learn better gardening right along side them.
The other part was I had already made the decision not to garden again until we had the proper tools like better fencing and raised beds. With having a clay mixed soil where we live I knew I couldn’t rely on planting straight from the ground if we were to be successful.
I asked Mr. B if he wouldn’t mind if we came over to help them do the work. We were not expecting this generous response…
If you help with the work I’d actually love for you all to just take over one of the beds and plant whatever you want.
We were ecstatic and happy to take on the offer! While learning and improving our gardening skills we would be able to hopefully reap harvest for our family at the same time. This will be such a blessing!
We started bright and early at 8:00am last Saturday. Since they only live 12 minutes away from us the kids didn’t have to get up too early.
We had our gloves, work shoes, plenty of water and eagerness 😄!
Our kids love the outdoors and were hoping to see some cool looking bugs and maybe even a snake or two lol. We did see plenty of bugs but thankfully no snakes. 🙅🏽♀️
We’ll start with some before shots of the bed they are allowing us to use.
We got right to it. We picked out the weeds, threw out sticks and twigs and also any wormlike bugs that are considered a threat to plants. With all the hands on deck we got through each task pretty quickly.
Here’s the first bed all cleaned out and ready for its first rake.
I took some before shots of the second bed as well…
And now a look at it after…
At this point we started losing the littles (our youngest kiddos) because they were getting too hot and bored from all the work. I’d say they lasted about 30 minutes before ghosting us to go inside with the air conditioning and toys. 😂
While we were cleaning out the beds and along the fence my husband and Mr. B were working together to build the raised beds. I was so excited for my husband to get this kind of experience. There’s nothing like being able to build with your own hands.
After the pieces were assembled they were then transported to the existing beds…
and then secured.
Here’s a look at the three beds together.
Before we get to the tilling part I must show you the healthy snacking that was happening in between the work. Our friends welcomed us to feast on some yummy strawberries and cherries 😋.
Now it’s time to add the garden soil, till and rake. The boys had the privilege of going to get more soil with Mr. B in his pickup. It was pretty cool seeing the transformation of these beds and being a part of it all.
Once the soil was raked, smoothed and leveled it was time to add the garden tarp to help keep out those weeds. Once the guys got it positioned and cut to fit they stapled down the ends and sides to secure it.
Beforehand I researched how we should plant our seeds…meaning which plants thrive best next to each other. I learned that tomatoes and basil grow well together and bell peppers grow well next to tomatoes.
Here are the seeds we started with in addition to cilantro and chamomile that our friends let us have…
We mapped out the placement of each plant, used the scissors to cut holes and then planted them.
Here is the final result…
and finishing off with a good first watering…
Yay!!! All finished!! 🤩🎉
Mr. B started growing his plants outside on their back deck in early Spring.
He transplanted them to their beds and even offered us some if we wanted to have a faster start. We decided to just stick with the seeds and praying that they germinate well and produce bountiful yummy yields 😃.
We have been wanting to start something like a community garden with our family where our children can pitch in and learn how to do the work. It was amazing how quick we got through the tasks with all of us working as a team.
This opportunity is so great and we are excited for the journey. I am even more excited to share it with you. 😊🤗
Thank you so much for joining me and reading about this new venture. I’ll be back hopefully soon to show you what’s sprouting!! 😍
