Sorry for the long delay in posting. We had a very productive weekend though, thanks to my wonderful family. My parents and youngest sister came over Saturday evening and helped us to finished ripping up the ivy, work some dirt, build the boxes and generally get the garden moving! A lot gone done, and I am very grateful for all of their help. (Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take pictures.) They also brought stuff for dinner and a super-delicious red velvet cake with chocolate ganache icing, yum.
Hubby and I also went shopping for the outdoors before the fam came over. I got a wheelbarrow and a small, hard-tine rake, more compost and a bunch of little things. Hubby got a bunch of dirt and grass seed to re-seed the curb strip and a couple of shadier areas. Then we came home and I got to work sifting dirt and putting the wheelbarrow together.
The garden area isn't completely done yet, but it won't take much now! I'm just waiting for a good day to do it. Presently, it is snowing. We got about and inch overnight and should get another today. Luckily, the temp is hovering just above freezing so everything is melting, but it's very depressing. The boxes are being stored in the garage, the soil is in a holding pattern, and I'm getting quite anxious!
I may use the time to treat the wood we used for the boxes, but I don't know with what. My dad was very concerned after we assembled that the wood is going to rot away and that he should've bought composite for me (the boxes were my birthday present from him, isn't he great!?). I am hoping to find a treatment for the wood that will help preserve it but not leech harmful chemicals into our food. Any ideas?
My wonderful mom got me the book Nourishing Traditions and a food scale. I wish I would've taken pictures, but I will get them tonight. And from the littlest sis I got a wonderful bag for my clothespins, made entirely out of duct tape (it's her favorite medium, she can make anything out of it!). I also got an awesome quart of orange dole whip from other sisters (I think the twins, but I'm not entirely sure it was both of them.) It was a great day!
Yesterday, my actual birthday, was a really good day too. Hubby made me breakfast, AND cleaned it up! I wasted two hours of my life looking for jeans at Kohls (where I have a gift card and a 30% off coupon - but couldn't find anything) and Old Navy. Both were a bust. I'll just hold on to the gift card until I do need something. Hubby and I ended up heading to the mall for a dinner out and a movie (tickets were a gift for our anniversary, 6 months ago!). It was a really great time with him. And, I went to GAP to look for a pair of jeans. I found them, they were perfect. I paid full price, I never do that. But I did. I also got a sweater that I'd been looking for for the past few months. I spent money, but I got good quality stuff that I wanted. It was a little weird for me to walk out of both Kohls and Old Navy with nothing, but I just didn't see anything I wanted or needed. Quality versus quantity I guess. I spent a little more, but got what I really wanted and didn't buy stuff I didn't need just because I had a gift card. I'm a little proud of myself. But just a little :)
Long & probably boring, sorry. I promise garden updates as soon as the weather breaks!
I put a bucket down and I'm praying that the kitchen won't be a mess when I get home. Sounds like I'm getting up on the roof this week. Woohoo!!
When my family came last weekend, my mom brought me this awesome food scale. Notice the yummy cake in the background, almost completely gone by Sunday :) I also got from her the book Nourishing Traditions. I just started reading it and am very excited! Thanks again mom!
And on Easter, I got gifts from my sisters who couldn't make it over last weekend. A box of wide-mouth canning jars (woohoo!) from the twins and Sara Snow's new book and a bunch of Burt's Bees chapstick from the older one. (For those who are counting, I have four younger sisters). The funnel I got for myself, $0.49 at Kroger this weekend. Thanks girls. I love when I get gifts that I really need and/or want but won't get for myself. These are all awesome. Also, I spoke to my grandma last week and she promised to show me how to darn socks when they come back from Florida. Woohoo!!! Thank you to everyone!
The dirt in this area is terrible. Almost as much gravel as their is dirt.
So I used my wonderful soil sifter to get rid of some of it, but I didn't get all of it. I'm worried there will be a very high level of lime in the soil, as most of the gravel appears to be limestone. I will have to test the ph before I plant anything.
Also buried in the dirt were a lot of these. Actual bricks and pieces of brick. This place was just a junk dump with a few bushes planted in it.
And here is a finished square, yeah! I dug down a few inches below the wood and then put the garden fabric down and added the soil mix on top. Hopefully this will keep the ivy out in the future.
I also got the raspberry and blueberry bushes planted. I think I'm going to get some more pots and put some tomato plants and potatoes in the pots.
This is the area where the building used to be and where I think we will put the pots. Those four round stones were found buried under ivy. My sister named them all. One is a boy.
This is the second bed we uncovered. At the end, by the little fence piece there used to be a mound. Hubby found and old blue tarp with a bunch of sand in it under the mound. More garbage!
This is the tarp that we found, along with a bunch of bricks that were buried. This hitch, thing was also buried under ivy. It was bungy-corded to the fence behind it and almost completely covered with ivy. Anyone know what it is? I appears to fit on a truck hitch, but I don't know what it would be used for...
And last but not least, more of the rock that was uncovered. Woohoo. More updates soon, I promise :)
Pour water into large pot.
Heat until soap dissolves. Add washing soda and
If you don't remove from heat fast enough, it will start to bubble, a lot.
