Raised Garden Beds Part 3

When we left off yesterday, the two raised garden beds my dad, the retired horticulturist, had built were ready for planting.

However, the bed the Head of My Household had built needed a little something.

Even Beneigt had noticed it.

My dad said I really had two choices.

I could leave the bed as it was and plant something that didn't need soil quite as deep.

Or, I could build the bed up so it would actually be a "raised" bed and fill it with dirt like the other two beds.

I decided to build it up.

I could just imagine me trying to figure out which veggies needed which depth of soil.

Huh?

We didn't cover that in American Literature!

Turns out the bed the Head of My Household had built was almost exactly TWICE the size of the beds my dad had built.

Guess what that meant?

More dirt.

A bunch more dirt.

In fact, the same amount of dirt we had already purchased the day before.

For $165.00.

Oy.

Soccer Boy and I found a piece of lumber in our yard leftover from some other building project long forgotten. 

This board was long enough to cut into two pieces and raise two sides of the bed.

That just left one problem.

A square bed has 4 sides.

We searched and searched but couldn't find another board the same width, length etc.

Soccer Boy measured the board and headed off to the warehouse home and garden store since our local farm and garden doesn't carry lumber.

I gave Soccer Boy and my firstborn my debit card (dangerous, I know) and sent them to get the lumber and 16 more 50lb. bags of dirt.

Just when I was about to decide they had taken off to Mexico with my debit card, Soccer Boy backed into the driveway, and the youngest and I came out to help unload.

Please notice my youngest's satin p.j.s...it is at least 3 or 4 in the afternoon :)

She's just that kind of gal :):)

 

My firstborn (who Soccer Boy sometimes calls "Princess,") shows she can pull her own weight and manhandled...er...womanhandled a 50lb. bag of dirt.

Please notice how impressed the youngest is with her big sister.

"Wow!"

"One day I'll be big and strong like my sister!"

 

The youngest had the camera again as I tried to help with the bags of dirt.

 

Soccer Boy brought the lumber off the truck.

 

Oh brother!

America's Next Top Model!

Not!

She'd beat all the other contestants up!
Ya gotta be tough to live in our house of estrogen!

The Head of My Household says living in our house is like living in a women's dorm.

All I want to know is how the heck he knows so much about living in a women's dorm!!!

 

Uh-Oh showed up to help.

But, he's not a fan of power tools, and Soccer Boy was about to break out the skil saw.

I was proud of Soccer Boy.

He really seemed to know what he was doing.

I worried a little about this part.

I could just see me calling Soccer Boy's mom.

Um, yeah, well...listen...we are at the ER with Soccer Boy and he's cut off his arm...

Whew!

 

Soccer Boy and I decided together that we...heh, heh...HE would just add height to the sides instead of taking the entire bed apart and starting again.

We decided this for two reasons.

One, I didn't want to take apart what the Head of My Household had built for me.

I'm kinda funny like that.

Two, raising the sides was a LOT less time consuming than starting all over.

The Head of My Household and I had a date! And, I'll be dang if I was going to miss it!

My dad recommended a particular procedure for leveling out the bed even though the foundation wasn't level; I'm not sure we accomplished that part but it's ok.

It's pretty typical of the Head of My Household to quietly do something he knows I want.

He's a pretty good guy.

Most of the time ;)

My firstborn held the boards in place while Soccer Boy hammered the nails.

 

 

Houston, we have a problem.

 

The Head of My Household and my middle child returned from playing golf just in time.

To smirk.

 

Notice the little scrap piece of wood on the right.

Can't you just hear the little wood?

"Pick me!" "Pick me!"
"I can fit right in those spots where there are gaps."

 

And, here comes my firstborn to the rescue with another piece of scrap wood.
When life gives you lemons...

 

Soccer Boy loves the saw.

You should have seen him last summer when there was a backhoe parked in my yard for weeks!

Oy!

I started having those same hallucinations of calling Soccer Boy's mom again but tried to calm myself.

Soccer Boy's pride was at stake.

 

Soccer Boy was determined to fill in the gaps...

And he did.

He's really a good boy.

Especially when he's making sure that the sides in my raised garden bed are not gapped!

 

With a little more hammering to secure the "raised" sides, we were back on track again.

Time for dirt!!

Um, haven't we been here before?

De ja vu!

We interrupt this blog post with a little dirt trivia:

16 - 50 lb. bags of dirt was $30 more expensive at the big "supposed" home and garden warehouse than at the local farm and garden.

Another reason to shop local!

 

Guess who's got the camera again??

Please notice my middle child in the bottom right corner...

She's really enjoying our hard work.

Aren't they beautiful!!!

Now if the sun will just come back...