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I'm just a girl trying to keep an eternal perspective on life, and live it to the fullest :)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Our Backyard Garden

We were planning on going out of town this past weekend, but plans changed. Despite my youngest daughter being sick, we all got out of the house and enjoyed some time at a Greenhouse and picked out some edible plants for our backyard garden.

A couple weeks ago my loving husband ;) surprised me for Mother's Day by purchasing supplies for a raised backyard garden! We worked together to outline the garden with blocks and fill it with a special mixture of soil called Mel's Mix (from All New Square Foot Gardening) that our neighbors introduced us to (thanks Carl and Sharon!). We placed a fence around our garden to protect it from our dogs. We had already planted our flowers out front a few weeks ago. Now we were excited to sow some plants we can use in the kitchen! We already have blueberry bushes along our back fence. We placed bird netting over them because last year the birds took most of our crop. So, hopefully that will do the trick!

So, on Saturday after we purchased our plants, I spent a while outdoors enjoying my time with the dirt. I also transplanted some plants I had started from seed. There is something about gardening that clears and refreshes my mind. I feel as though I can better talk with God as I am digging in the soil (after all, man came from dust).

Here is the layout of our garden (It is approx. 4' x16') :
Unfortunately, I've already witnessed some black birds picking off leaves of my herbs. When I was out there yesterday, I also noticed that some cute little bunnies must be nibbling away at some of my other plants ;(

So, after consulting with my mom, we devised a plan, and I sprung into action.

To keep away the birds, I took some disposable pie tins, poked holes in them, and tied them to our fence. The noise and reflection of light should keep away the birds I'm hoping :)

As far as the bunnies (I like calling them bunnies rather than rabbits... its more endearing), I've place moth balls around the outer edge of our bricks lining our garden (not in our garden). The smell is supposed to keep the critters away.

(I'm glad this is in our backyard and not our front. Our cute decorations might make people jealous- haha)

I am getting ready to go water now... I'm hoping those tactics have worked!

I'm so excited to see what we reap here in the next 2-3 months!

2 comments:

  1. first I would like to say "Great JOB!" I too have been utilizing the flower beds and unused areas in my yard for food. Your plan to keep the birds and bunnies (LOL) away are tried and true. My grandparents used both methods successfully. I find working in my little gardens very peaceful and helps me recoup from a hard day at the office. Looking forward to seeing how it all works out! Good luck!

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  2. Thanks Monica! It's good to hear from someone else that those are tried and true :) It's definitely working for us!

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