As part of our continuous efforts to further prepare for the unavoidable eventuality of a Mad Max world, Justin and I decided that this year we would enlarge our vegetable garden and try to grow our own food. I already had a somewhat extensively landscaped backyard space before Justin moved in, but we’ve been working over the past few years to expand and improve it. The kids have a little garden near the shed where we’ve tried to grow vegetables before, but over the years the raspberry bushes have taken over leaving little room for anything else to grow.
Our first project was extending the garden beds to the south side of the yard. We planted a Japanese Maple tree that was a transplant from a neighbor’s yard, used recycled bricks that Justin found in the crawl space under the kitchen as a border, and filled it with other cast-offs and donations from gardens of friends and family.
Justin and me sitting next to our new garden bed
In fact, the general theme of our yard has always been recycling. The first brick border around the entire garden is made from an old chimney my father removed from a house while he was still in construction. We have a rain barrel to fill our watering cans, a compost bin for kitchen and gardening waste, and many of our other plants were grown from shared cuttings from other gardens in the neighborhood. We mulch heavily to reduce the need for constant watering and we use all-organic methods for pest control.
our backyard recycling center
We have high hopes for our garden this year and everything new we’ve planted. I’ve become completely obsessed with researching organic gardening and learning about growing a vegetable garden that can sustain our family. Justin and I have been working really hard to get in shape and eat a healthier, whole foods diet, so the garden is a natural extension of this effort. It’s really important to me for the kids to understand where their food comes from and to learn good eating habits for a healthier lifestyle. I’m keeping a mini diet/fitness vlog that I’ll be posting here shortly
new White Heather bushes at the rear of the yard
our cat, Teddy, hiding in the raspberry bushes
our turtle, Fleishman, getting lost in the grass
For now, we’re going to have to be patient and wait for the fruits of our labor to grow big and yummy for harvest. We’re so excited about the new vegetable garden… sometimes we just sit outside and stare at it like you would a new baby, proud and anxious for it to grow. There are also plans for a fountain project and a mosaic stepping stone. Justin and I volunteered on a mosaic mural project at Calvin’s school recently and were inspired to make our own.
Justin working on the new vegetable garden
watering the new transplants!
the first signs of fruit on our tomato plant
In addition to the garden, we’ve also installed a blue bird house, a bat house {for bug control}, and a butterfly house. We’re hoping that we’ll have lots of critters making homes here… though we hope the bunnies make a home far from our fresh veggies. You can view the ongoing progress of our garden in photos in my Facebook photo album by clicking here:
We also had a little drama involving some Kamikaze birds in our pond at the north-rear corner of the yard. The story and photos can be viewed by click here:
Hell Pond
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