Weekend Project Number Three - Raised Beds

Everything takes longer than I anticipate. I know it’s also because we’ve had such limited time with the rainy start to our summer. We had one nice weather day this weekend, so I tried to fit everything into that day. We went to a few garage sales. (I love garage sales. Wait until you see the darling thing I found for the garden at a sale for $2.00!  It will show up in one of my weekend projects soon.) Then, we came home and got busy on the raised beds. Something I have always struggled with is how to get it all done, enjoy different activities and still find some peace with what I am actually able to accomplished. My “to do” lists, I’ve been told, are unrealistic. I admit that I probably do need to put fewer items on them and allow more time for the ones I do have, but again, I want to get it all done because then I feel better. After all, how will I ever get it all done, if I can never get ahead? I have also been called an over-achiever. This is not something that a person who is seeking peace and balance likes to hear. By striving for more peace and balance in my life am I now channeling my over-achiever tendencies towards seeking peace and balance? Hmm. Somehow these seem contradictory. It is a quandary. Well, for now, I know that I do love what I am doing in the yard. I just need to be happy with what I do get done because I sure enjoy the process.

So, for weekend project number three, we worked to get the raised beds in. I would have liked to have gotten them all planted, but…refer to the above paragraph. So, we have the beds made and in. We found that the ground was pretty uneven, so Rich dug them out a bit to make them level. We had to do some careful situating with the bed on the east corner of the house because I put a Wolfberry (Goji) in a couple of springs ago.  It is pretty well established and has really taken off this year.  (Here is a link that tells about Wolfberry: Wolfberry wikipedia )                   

                        

Above is a link to some books about the Wolfberry.

I didn’t want to disturb its root system, so the frame of the bed had to go over it and it needed to be low enough so the soil wouldn’t cover the base of the Wolfberry too much. All in all, the beds are looking great. Here are some pictures:

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

 You can see that I did get one bed planted. It has a variety of peppers, a couple of cantaloupe plants, broccoli and carrots. All were starts, except the carrots. I will be planting more carrots as we go because we love to juice them. We could actually have a bed just of carrots. I’m also trying an experiment this year. I have laid some green mulch on top of half the bed. I have two of the same type of pepper plants that I bought at the same time and are of the same size. I put one where the green mulch is and one in the other half of the bed. There are claims that by putting mulch down, production will be higher. We’ll see. Here is a link that tells about the mulch.  This is not where I bought mine from, but it gives a good description:  Green Mulch Here is where I bought mine from: Territorial Seed Green Mulch .

The one bed I got planted.  Note the green mulch at one end.

Here is the Wolfberry.  We lifted the frame up over the back.  The Wolfberry is about 7 feet tall now.

I will be planting the other beds next weekend. At least I will try. This proclamation using the word “try” is a step in my over-achiever recovery program. It feels like we are bombarded with wisdom from people who accomplish “great things” that you are not supposed to use the word “try.” You’re supposed to say “I will get it done.” Not try, will. Try lets you get out of it. Try lets you make excuses. Try begins the project with a questionable outcome. But that’s just the way it’s going to be. I therefore proclaim that I will try to get the all beds planted next weekend and I will try because I really want to and am excited about it and because it’s getting late for planting, but in the end, I will just do the best I can.

And to end this post...the greens have come up in the tubs already! Isn't it amazing how quick that was. Time to thin. Here are some pictures:

See you next week!