Our Wee Garden

We’re putting in our first garden this spring and I’m so excited I can barely sit still. We had so much fun harvesting raspberries from our patch last year, that I can just imagine how we’ll enjoy picking our own vegetables too.

I’ve put some thought into this adventure. After all, I’m not really the gardening type. I love the idea of gardening, but I do best when my landscaping is highlighted by hostas, peonies, lilies and iris - and a lot of weed cloth.

I knew my vegetable garden would need to meet a few requirements:

1. Easy. I want to start small, with a few hearty plants that will do well in our climate.
2. Organic. Why pay extra for organic produce at the supermarket, when it’s free in my backyard?
3. Educational. I want my kids to plant, water and weed. I want them to watch with wonder as spouts turn to plants which grow them tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, zucchinis and onions.
4. Sustaining. I want things to be successful this year so I’m more apt to try it again. I’d like the garden to become a regular part of our lives in the summer.

My mother, who’s very close to growing all of the vegetables she and my father eat year-round, suggested Square Foot Gardening. I’ve borrowed her copy of the book and checked out the website and Facebook page. It looks like my kind of gardening.

Here’s SFG in a nutshell: Rather than tilling up soil in your backyard and trying to adjust it to the nutrient level needed for your plants, you simply build a garden on top of your lawn. Using very small gardens (usually 4’x4’) you fill them with nutrient-rich ingredients that last the lifetime of your garden. The small plots make it easy to reach all of your plants, you never tamp down soil by walking in it and the special soil uses drastically less water. Marking your garden with a grid pattern enables you to pack it full of healthy plants. It’s genius, really!

We started this week by gathering the supplies. We picked up everything at a local Menard's for $50, including composit boards to make our garden last as long as possible. Later this week (Jason’s home for the week before starting his new job), Jason will build the box and mixing the special soil. Then, once it warms up enough, we’ll pick up our seeds and small plants to get this project underway.

I hope to take photos of the process, so we can share the joys of Our Wee Garden. Hmmm…I think we should get a sign for it too.