Another Chance for Gardening... DIY: A Raised Garden

Here is your sneak peak at the garden frame. I'll tell you how to make it in a second.  



It's difficult for me to write a post without a few pictures of Lucy. 



She is so darn cute. 



She and her cousin Jack played the other day, while my sister and I worked in the back yard.



Do you remember my first attempt at gardening?  It was 1 rosemary plant, 2 basil plants, and 2 tomato plants. 

I'm happy to say the rosemary plant is still going strong.  Turns out it's a tough little plant, and good thing, too.  The basil and tomato plants didn't make it.  Sad deal, but life goes on.  Gotta get started on this year's bigger and better garden! 



This raised garden was my sister's idea.  For about $50, you too can build this simple, raised garden. 



Start with 6 cedar fence posts, 1"x6"x6', 4 corner brackets, and some screws. 



Cut 2 of the 6' boards in half, and screw the resulting 3' pieces together, stacked on top of each other.  Do the same for the 6' pieces. 



The result will be 2 double 6' boards and 2 double 3' boards.  The "double" feature acts to fortify the garden bed walls, while keeping the costs much lower than they would be if you bought 2" thick boards instead of 1" thick.



Screw the boards into a rectangle, using the brackets.



Now you have your raised garden bed frame!  Three feet across by six feet long gives you 18 square feet of planting possibilities! 



In my garden I plan to grow a bunch of herbs and a few of the more expensive produce vegetables, like bell peppers, fennel, and onions.   



The bed is currently empty, but I'm going to acquire some free horse manure from a stable down the road, and that will be the base of my planting bed.



On top of that, I plan to layer in this organic landscaper mix, and that way the manure will have some time to mellow out under the soil before the roots reach it.  I'll update with more photos once I get the bed filled in. 

 

Big thanks to Ginnie for doing most of the work on this, while I took pictures!  And big thanks to Jack for keeping Lucy entertained and letting her pull his hair! 



Enjoy your weekend!