May 10, 2008

• Aiding and abetting the evil math syndicate...

  that's what I'm doing alright.  So, we've decided to attempt square foot gardening in the hopes that we will finally have a way of gardening that suits us.  I've done the row thing...admittedly it was also the year of the drought and everything burned to a crisp. And , I've done container gardening...which was passably successful but not permanent. But here, I get semipermanent. Crop rotation, the whole kit and caboodle in a manageable way. It also requires math...square roots included...someone shoot me before I continue down the Math Path!!! AAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

  So, I had to build a box. A box with 12 sq. foot sections in it, and you plant them with just enough seeds to get the amount of plants that would fit in that sq. foot according to pkg. spacing. So you don't have overkill...too much of a harvest, and  also for easier gardening. I didn't take pics of the box construction, I know you'll be sorry to hear. It was very funny. I do not have arm strength...and I don't have clamps or a work table.

  So on the driveway, with a daughter leaning against the end of a board to lean into my drilling on the other side of the board. They're giggling..."it makes me feel "zzzzshhhhh"" ...and I'm yelling..."Push! I can't get the screw all the way down! Oh well! Good enough!"  So, my board has a few screws still sticking out and is a tad wonky. But I do have pictures of the completed box, with Mel's mix and some veggies and marigolds planted. It is covered by a handmade screen top which you can lift off to tend your plants, but is to help keep animals from getting at your plants. There is also a pipe frame which will have a plastic mesh stretched across it to vine up the tomatoes, cucumbers and yes, watermelon...awesome. So here's the pics:

  

  That's mom's dog, Betsy, in the background, barking at the neighbor.

  Here's a picture of the side of the house in front where we've cleaned out an old rose bed. Cleaned up an existing bush. added one plus a baby it sprouted that was on the front path garden, and a housewarming gift of roses for mom, and one more rose bush which Hannah bought for me for Mother's Day (well, we'll call it that way at any rate).:

  

  On the left is a Wisteria Bush that I'm climbing up a synthetic grid to hide the waste containers.

  Isn't it purty? We've been busy bees outside, and now have to catch up on inside, before we get back to working outside. I have to mow this week....things are starting to grow again... I can't wait to be Whackin' Weeds again!

  ~Kate

  • 9:44 pm
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