Getting Some Dirt Under Our Fingernails

Right after we moved into our new house last summer I put up a 4x4 frame for a garden (thanks to my wonderful wife who stumbled across a good deal on some cedar 4x4s. We stumbled across another good deal on cedar and yesterday the boys and I built another raised bed. I've been trying to utilize the square-foot method of gardening (here's the wikipedia article--do a search and you can find more in-depth articles) . It's very sensible and easy for the boys to take some ownership with. Plus, weeding is easy and no chemicals are needed.

So the boys helped build it, and they helped get the ground ready (we're using the lasagna gardening method to get started). I've like to start my plants from seeds generally. That's the fun part for me--being a part of the whole growth process. I'll even save seeds from my plants for the next year. So a few seeds are getting started inside (tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower). The boys planted some flower seeds in the planter boxes the made at Home Depot last weekend. Other seeds will get planted once the ground his warm enough (and I've got some dirt in the second frame). We're skipping corn this year since we learned that it's hopeless to fight the rodents in our yard. But we'll have some carrots, lettuce, peas, beans, kale, okra, eggplant, squash, radishes, turnips, and hopefully parsnips and rutabagas. And in a few months, we'll have some good fresh veggies to eat.