LOVE

“Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.” 
~Unknown

I was reading some of my old blog posts and came across this one which I had written just a month or so after I began my blog.  It was fun to see that I still feel this way about gardening as well as the difference in my posts from then until now.  They were much longer and personal which I miss but I have found that less is more when writing about my life in the garden because bloggers are busy and they don’t want to read a book, just a quick post.  With that said, sorry about the length of this one, it sums up a lot for me, so indulge me please…..

June, 2009~In my garden today, I pruned, dead headed, fertilized, transplanted, watered and admired.  After a few hours of trimming, edging,  and all of the other things I mentioned, my back ached and my hands felt cramped, but my heart was full and my brain completely entertained with the beauty and calmness that a garden brings.

Eventhough I was hungry and tired, I gladly carried on until all the chores  were complete.  Luckily I am blessed with a husband who also enjoys being out there and making our yard and garden a haven for tired souls  that love to be “working” with nature.  When he was done with his duties, he even made dinner for us as I used every available bit of light I could squeeze out of the day- (Today was the longest day of the year).  What I realized as I was out there is that one of the things I love about gardening is that you are never quite done.  You can only do what you can today and save the other million things you think of while you are doing todays things, for tomorrow.

 I find myself planning next year’s  tasks while I work on this years garden.  Of course, the forementioned wonderful husband nods and agrees to my big plans as if he intends on carrying out every project I dream up, no matter how large it is or unrealistic it is, he humors my enthusiasm ~I love that about him! OR maybe it is because he can actually see us doing these projects in his “gardener’s mind”  and my day dreams are similar to his day dreams for our garden next year. OR it could be that while I am going on about plans and projects  he has whisked himself away to his favorite fishing stream and he is really dreaming about that “big fish” that won’t get away and he is nodding to himself that he is really going to get that new fly rod he has been wanting and… as long as we are both happy… that’s all that really matters! Isn’t gardening just wonderful?

“My heart shall be thy garden.” ~ Alice Meynell

Planting a raised bed garden is really not anything new.   Take a look around and you will see raised beds in your neighbors yards or in public places.  It’s simply the act of creating a space with borders(wall, wood, stone,etc..) so you can add good soil.  They look really nice in addition to being easier to work than the hard ground with inadequate soil.

The first thing you need to do is select your sight.  Take in to consideration what you will be planting and what type of light it needs.  Usually you would pick a  site with sunshine at least six to eight hours a day.   Next decide how large of a raised bed you would like.    You need to be able to get to the plants for trimming, deadheading, picking or staking.  A good rule of thumb is no more than four feet wide or 3 feet wide if you are up against a wall or fence.  Ideally it is best to be able to get to it from all sides but if you need to place it agains a fence or wall, just make it narrower so you can reach the plants in the back.  There needs to be water accessible near by and leave enough space around the bed for you to work on the garden.  Placing mulch or stones around the bed gives you a place to walk without getting muddy.

• The next step is to decide what you will use to create the raised garden.  Stones and wood are the usual choice.  You want to pick something that will make your bed at least six to eight inches deep.  This would be adequate for most plants and vegetables.  If you choose wood, be sure it is made weather proof by staining or painting.
• Create the foundation by leveling the soil that will be underneath the raised bed.  If there is grass there it is best to remove the sod.  Place newspaper or lanscape fabric over the area so that weeds will not grow though into your new soil.  Some people prefer to have no barrier beneath their bed so that plants can grow deeper.  This is an option especially if you will be growing plants like carrots that need extra depth.  If this is the route you take, simply dig the soil that will be beneath your new soil so that it is loose and even.
• The next step is to  build the raised bed.  If you are using stone or pavers just build them up as you would a wall but go completely around the area you will be planting in.  If you are using wood, using 2 x 6 makes the depth 6 inches which is ideal.  Join the corners with screws and place on the ground  keeping the bed level.  Simply dig down on a side if it is too high or build up the other side if you prefer, level is best.
• The next step is to add your soil.  A mix of compost, garden soil and pete moss will make a nice texture that feeds the plants while also staying loose.
• when this is all complete you are ready to put in your plants.

There are many advantages to raised beds, here are a few:

• ~You add the soil so its’ good right from the start.  This means you don’t have to ammend the soil that is already existing in a garden.
• ~Your plants are healthier since the soil is new and full of nutrients
• ~The beds have better drainage than in the ground (just be sure they get enough water because of this.)
• ~Beds warm up faster in the spring so you can plant earlier
• ~Since you don’t walk in the beds they don’t get compacted
• ~you can build them to a comfortable height for yourself

In the end, it’s all about making gardening easier and more relaxing, so if you have a flower bed with awful dirt, or need your garden higher to make it more comfortable to garden, consider a raised bed, it eliminates a lot of problems and is pretty easy to do.  The rewards will be worth your trouble.

“When all the chores are done, the avid gardener will invent some new ones.”~ unknown

I am re-posting about this fun project since it’s about that time again to put it to use.

We found some vintage windows which inspired this entire project.  With a bit of wood found in the garage and a quick trip to Home Depot, we had the makings of a fun weekend.

On a gorgeous day in Spring,  my husband  got started on building me a cold frame..

First he built it,

then he put on wheels so we can move it into the sun or in and out of the garage if we have a bad frost coming.

Next we painted it,

put the windows on with  hinges,

and reused the window hardware as handles.

He added a couple of heavy duty handles on the sides for lifting (you never know)

and there you have it…

a great cold frame to hold all my fledgling seedlings and give them an early start.

~ All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar. ~ Helen Hayes

Those winter chills are in the garden so this shamrock(oxalis) plant can thrill me with this simple little purple flower.

Kind of looks like the Garden Shoes Online flower…..

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.  ~Gerard de Nerval

 Starting seeds can be a sanity saver for many of us waiting  through a long winter for spring to arrive. 

 Last year my husband and I built a seed starting rack with lights so I could survive the winter gardening blues.  It was an easy and  fun project.

We purchased a metal shelf unit from Sams club. Then we  bought shop lights from Home Depot that could be plugged into a powerstrip so that no electrical wiring was necessary.

 Easy peasy.

 The only problem I found was that I wish we had made two shelves.

        ~”So many seeds, so little space.”~unknown 

I have to buy a Cyclamen every January to bring color back in to the house.

They always feel like an after christmas pick me up.

  And who can’t use that?

~”Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in
the summer, when they complained about the heat.”  ~ Unknown

Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine
when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts.  ~Dodinsky

 The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination.  ~Terri Guillemets

Since it is January, I thought I would reminisce a bit about one of my favorite flowers.  Dahlias.

They never disappoint.

 Dahlias come in all sizes and colors. 

 They aren’t hardy, so their tubers must be dug up before the first frost to be replanted the following year.

But they are so worth the trouble. 

They are one plant that I put in every year because they are so dependable and rewarding.  

~”When words escape, flowers speak.”-   Bruce W. Currie