If It's Spring, It Must Be Time to Plant A Garden

Last year our garden was only moderately successful.  We put it in hurriedly and did not prepare the soil nearly well enough.  This year we are in our new home, and we decided to build raised beds with good soil.  Cec is taking the Master Gardener course sponsored by the Walker County Extension Agent, and we are applying what she has learned there.

I built two 6'x16' frames from landscape timbers secured with 60p spikes in pre-drilled holes and lined the sides with plastic to insulate the soil from the timber chemicals.  I finished the bed by topping it off with deck boards (not shown in photo) to provide a comfortable seat.  I also added vertical pieces of PVC pipe around the inside edges so I could make a cover frame by inserting and bending smaller diameter PVC across the bed.  We used it to cover the garden with a tarp last weekend to avoid a late frost, and it worked great.  

I have to mention the Makita 18v. portable impact drill that I bought to install the straps for the PVC and the deck boards.  I borrowed one from my builder last year to build a wood fence and was so impressed that I decided I had to have one myself.  The drill is very small and light and will practically drive a deck screw through a 1" board.  It is one of the most effective power tools I have ever owned.

The soil came from a mushroom farm near Madisonville.  They have to change their soil every 7 years, and they sell the very rich used soil to local gardeners and landscapers.  I used my Kubota tractor to scoop the soil and transport it to the beds.  Love my tractor!

We have already planted tomatoes, onions, peppers, squashes, canteloupes and turnip greens and will add climbing green beans tomorrow.  One of Cec's Master Gardener buddies is going to give us bamboo to stick the beans.  Most of our sets came from the Walker County Master Gardeners plant sale.  The tomatoes were 12" tall when we bought them!