Raised Bed. Our garden

I've had a few questions about our garden since I posted a pic of the little girl and her daddy pulling early spring weeds from it :-) I wrote an email to one blogger, and after a few other questions and prompts for a post on it.....I am turning my email into a post. Why didn't I think of it on my own. blogger fail. 

A few years ago I asked the hubby to build a raised bed for our summer garden. We don't have a huge 

back yard (long and narrow) and we had tried a small garden on the ground the previous summer, but I wanted a raised bed. 

Matt started to do his research and he found that the wood typically used to build a raised bed was treated and the chemicals would leach into the soil and our plants. The untreated lumber wouldn't last but a couple years before it rotted and would need to be replaced. So we started looking into bricks. There are lots of options, the prettier the brick/block, the more pricey. Our budget (as always) was limited. So ultimately we decided to use the cinder block. For a few reasons, cheap and we figured (kids, nieces/nephews) could paint on it or draw with chalk on it so it would be an extra space for outdoor fun- as well as a fabulous place for a garden. The biggest sell on the cinder for me was the holes in the cinder block that allowed perfect spots for herbs to grow alongside the plants. Fresh cilantro, basil, chives, parsley, rosemary...All ready for me at anytime throughout the summer.

Our yard is kind of sloped. So on one end the garden it is pretty short and low to the ground, but on the far end its about 4 blocks high! (too your waist) At first I didn't really like how tall it was. But considering we don't have a large area for plants- esp. the kinds with vines the tall end has allowed us to grow cucumbers and put old chairs up against it and give the vines a way to grow out and towards the ground! It's worked great in that respect. We love cucumbers and having a garden without them was just sad for us.

It's been 3 years and I love that it's up off the ground and you don't have to bend over to weed it! Since this will be the 2nd spring/summer I've been pregnant and using the garden, having to not bed over to weed/plant/harvest....SOLD. Seriously, you can sit on the edge of the block and reach all the way to the middle!

It was relatively easy for the husband and FIL to build. (they are pretty handy). We needed a sizable truck load of dirt (which we got from a farm friend out of a cow pasture. Grows amazing after years of "fertilization"! :-) But it was a several days of them working on it and getting it level. Then filling with dirt. They did pour a little concrete in a few of the cinder holes to keep it from moving over time and having the weight of the dirt push it out. Each year the dirt has settled a bit and we've had to add a little top soil. But nothing expensive or that a few bags of dirt didn't solve.

My one complaint is that its a bit of an eye sore in the winter. A big cement block structure in the back yard without much in it. But with that said I don't care that much about what others think and its in MY back yard and I think that as our kiddies get older I will have them paint on it. What mama doesn't love the artwork of their children....even the scribbles of a toddler. 

I would say we probably spent about $150 or less on the initial building of it. I think more in the $120 range. But after Matt broke a tool and a saw blade we were probably in the $150 range :-)

Let me know if you have any questions! We love it.

Here are a few pictures from the past couple summers.

I love photos of my husband working on projects with his dad. Something warms my heart every time.

Done! Ready for dirt!

First year we tried "square foot gardening" although my square feet weren't exactly right.

Early cucumbers planted right on the end of the tall side so we could have plenty of room for other plants

Cucumbers growing over tall end. Chairs not shown. We added those about this time so they could vine a bit more before hitting the grass.

Basil!

Good luck in your gardening ventures this spring/summer. I hope to try and document our produce and garden this summer. Remind me as I will likely forget I wanted to blog about it!