Growing a Garden from the Ground Up!

While I fritter away my youth looking for a job in this poor economic climate, I also have been working on a project to construct a raised bed garden in my parents' backyard. Granted, October in the Pacific Northwest is not the best time to start planting a garden from scratch, but I did so anyway.

Much of the delay in getting my plants in the ground I can blame on the difficulties in actually putting the bed in place. I used a "recipe" for success on Sunset Magazine's website, that resulted in a beautiful wooden ... that is, after I gagged my way through the oil fumes of the wood stain (not particularly environmentally friendly) and pushed my hands to their limit in drilling each plank. Then, of course, the lovely top soil had to make its way from the front yard to the bed - and it wasn't about to do that itself.

But finally, at the end of October, my seedlings have made it into the soil. They face a tough road ahead. The broccoli, garlic, and beets most assuredly won't reach their full potential until the spring. I may reap the benefits of the Swiss chard, lettuce, and arugula before the first frost, but that is doubtful. No matter. My little plantlings are only the beginning of a (hopefully) long and fruitful backyard garden!