7/06/2009

Garden MakeOver Update



We have been making a lot of head way on our garden remodeling project and the planted beds are looking and tasting great! There was a lot on my dream plan and not a lot in my not so dreamy budget. Come take a look at the progress.


My dream plans included:
  • A cute fence around the garden
  • Deer proof flower/ herb border on the outside of the fence
  • Raised beds w/ mulched walking paths
  • Adding 4 chickens
  • A half shed/ half chicken coop
  • Chicken pen for the new hens
  • A chicken moat around the garden just inside the cute fence
That was my final "dream" plan as of the beginning of April. It's now July and the paper plans are coming to life.


Project Updates:
  • The raised beds with mulched walking paths was the first thing we did. We built 8 of the nine beds so far. The last one will be completed in the fall after the crops are harvested out of that area. The beds are 4 ft x 18 ft x 8 inches deep. We were able to fill the beds with open bag specials at local stores. Most bags didn't have anything missing out of them and we spent $1.50 per bag. Not a bad deal, but it does add up when you consider the shear amount that we needed.
  • As you know, we do have the four chickens. We all love the hens and are enjoying them in the backyard at the moment. The coop is completed, but we have not built the pens in the garden area yet. Once we do that we will move them to the garden until then they will be enjoying free range of the backyard and the ravine.
  • The cute fence I dream of should become a reality slowly over the next month. We have gathered beautiful cedar boards and treated 4x4's from Craig's List sources. We just need to get the long runners for between the posts and we will have all the material to build a beautiful picket fence.
  • The chicken moat to go around the garden area was abandoned because of the cost.
  • The deer proof flower/ herb border for the outside of the fence has not been started because the fence is not in place. I'm still planning on getting the plants for free or bartering for them. For plants that I can not obtain that way I will try to start from seed over this coming winter to help save money that way.

For more details on how we built our raised beds and our coop stay tuned!

4 comments:

Bill said...

The squash in the 2nd to last picture are HUGE!!! I'm green with envy.

Mrs. (not) the Jet Set said...

Thanks! It was a volunteer plant in a bed filled with mostly homemade compost and aged horse manure. The leaves are about 15 inches wide! I think that it is a watermelon as the fruit on the vine is starting to grow. I think that I'll take a photo of my daughter's next to it to show the size better, because it is huge.

Jennifer Juniper said...

My mom is currently constructing her dream garden and like yours it has raised beds. She dreamed up this picket fence that is white with all different finials and birdhouses to cap off each picket. She is giddy about the way it is turning out. I will try to send you a photo when she finishes :)

the undomesticated wife said...

I planted 2 squash plants this year for the first time, and they are huge like yours! I couldn't believe how big they get. I'd love to have room for a bigger garden like yours! It's heavenly!

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