Month: August 2016

How to Build a Raised Bed for Your Garden – part 1

Published on by Gerri1 Comment

Can you think of anything tastier than home grown tomatoes or summer squash fresh from your own garden?  Have you ever longed to stroll into your own garden to pluck fresh herbs or vegetables for your evening meal?

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Although my husband and I have dabbled a bit with growing veggies in our garden, we’ve never really gotten serious about it.  One season we experimented with planting tomatoes. Another year we tried our hand at growing strawberries, but we’ve never made a major commitment to a true vegetable garden.

Years ago we had a very sweet neighbor with an amazing vegetable garden.  She would keep us supplied with tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini all summer long.  Oh how we enjoyed the fruits of her labor!

Well, we have made the decision to truly commit to growing our own veggies and herbs in our own garden!  We will finally be able to enjoy our own fresh tomatoes and share our abundance with others!

Our first step to this exciting project was a trip to Home Depot to purchase supplies.  We knew we wanted the garden to be a 4 x 8 raised bed.  The benefits of a raised bed include better drainage, protection from pests, and easy access to your garden.

Here is our materials list:

  • 6    2 x 6 x 8      Cedar boards                        11.93 ea.         71.58
  • 1     4 x 4 x 10    Cedar post                                                     20.60
  • 6     copper end caps  ( optional )                 3.77 ea.        22.62             Total Cost 114.80

We used 3 cedar boards from materials we already had so our materials cost was actually less.  My husband chose to use cedar for this project for its extreme durability  and resistance to rot.  The copper end caps were totally optional.  We thought it would give the garden a touch of panache!

Here are the steps for constructing the raised bed:

  • Cut 2 of the cedar boards in half.  These are for your end pieces.
  • Cut cedar posts into 6 equal pieces of 20 inches each.
  • Assemble your frame.
  • Using 2 1/2 galvanized screws attach boards to post.

The time required for constructing this raised bed was probably under two hours including cutting the boards.  The assembly went really quickly.  Of course, my husband did the work.  I stood by and cheered him on!

We are excited to have this portion of the work complete.  Next, we will be adding a ground cover, soil, and finally the plants!

I will keep you posted on how this garden tuns out!

                                                                          Happy Gardening!

xxoo   Gerri

Time in the Garden

Published on by Gerri5 Comments

Who doesn’t enjoy spending time relaxing and taking in nature in a beautiful garden. But did you know that relaxing or working in the garden can actually benefit your health?

The sights, smells and sounds of a garden promote relaxation and reduce stress. If you actually spend time working in the garden, planting or pulling weeds, you get the added benefit of physical activity.

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Spending time in a garden is a way to nurture and replenish our spirit.  In general, our society spends way too much time at the computer or plugged in to other electronic devices.  All of this time spent focusing on electronics can create attention fatigue adding to our already stressful lives.

The effortless form of attention spent enjoying a beautiful garden helps us replenish that attention fatigue which leads to reducing stress and improving our mood.  Just 15 minutes a day spent spent soaking in the sun in a beautiful garden atmosphere can elevate your mood.

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Another benefit to gardening is that it is a great form of physical activity.  Digging, planting, weeding, and watering gives your body plenty of opportunity to move and stretch without hitting the gym.

You don’t need a big backyard to enjoy the benefits of gardening.  If you have a small patio you can get started with adding small houseplants or even container gardening.

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The most important thing is to break away from your electronic devices and begin enjoying the improved mood and health benefits of spending time in a garden.  As we approach the end of summer, it’s not too late to try your hand at some simple gardening and discover for yourself  an elevated mood and improved health!

Happy Gardening!

Let me know what’s growing in your garden!  I love hearing from you!

Gerri