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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Not exactly a barn raising

Today we gathered at the community center where we belong to build and fill over 30 raised garden beds. (Well, everyone except Charlie. I didn't think getting manure-based compost in his cast would be a great idea.)

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The good folks from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful were on hand to help guide us in how to put together the beds. I even did a little drilling -- until I stripped the screw and the drill bit. Then I re-assigned myself to soil (real gardeners don't call it dirt) duty.

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Before the beds could be filled, post holes had to be dug so the containers could be set down flush with the ground.

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Each bed took probably 4-6 wheelbarrows full of dirt. This was really hard work. I will admit to hiding in the bathroom for a few minutes (ok, myabe 10) just to give my aching back a break.

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A little more than four hours after we started, all the containers were built. Thank goodness for some volunteers who will come on Thursday to finish setting the final ones in the ground and filling them with soil.

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Then the real fun begins! We plan to grow tomatoes, peppers, broccoli (if what we've started inside makes it), lettuce, radishes and sunflowers. Oh, and Annie wants zucchini.

Will you garden this year? What do you plan to plant?

5 comments:

Rachel said...

Looks like a wild amount of work, but you'll love watching everything grow!

I raid my in-law's corn, peas, and carrots all summer :) And I'm afraid to try our strawberries after watching our 4-year old "water" them all winter... UGH.

Ellen aka Ellie said...

Fantastic!

I live in a townhouse, and we're not supposed to plant, but I do.

This year, other than annuals from flats, I'm giving Zinnia seeds a try. I started some tomatoes from seeds, and I hope to have a pumpkin plant from a pot.

My thumbs are withered and brown , so pity any plants I tend to...

Eternal Lizdom said...

I need to get to planning. I have to clear out my garden from last year. I think I still have leeks that are growing right now, too!

I'll do tomatoes. Some sort of squash. No idea what else. I did jalapenos really well last year...

Unknown said...

Who gets to tend and harvest this lovely garden? Not sure what we are putting out. Sometimes a farmer's garden is the last piece of ground to be planted.! Great job!

Amy said...

@Rachel -- That's called organic gardening, right?

@Ellen -- withered and brown...love it.

@Liz -- Hmm...I don't know about jalapenos, but I could go for some banana peppers

@Lana -- It's a family garden -- which of course means that MOM will do all the work!