Lessons on MARRIAGE From My BACKYARD FLOWER FARM

 Happy Monday friends! I hope this post finds you feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead! This is such and exciting time of year isn't it? Spring is a time of renewal for our gardens and our spirits! This spring is especially exciting because I can already see beginnings of one of my garden dreams taking shape. 

Things in my BACKYARD FLOWER FARM are coming along! 

Here's what we've been working on  so far. Progress is being made on the raised beds. Originally I thought I wanted 16 4x6x8 raised beds ( with the idea in mind that I would plant different varieties of cut flowers in each bed) but after Boz came out and looked at the space, he suggested we build 8 beds 4 x 12. His thinking was it would be less work construction wise and I will still have the exact same amount of planting space which adds up to 384 square feet of planting space.  He also had different ideas on how to build them. Isn't that always how it goes? Well, with us it does. :) I'm visualizing one thing, he another. We both usually have the same goal in mind, just different ways of getting there. Before I show you any photos, I want you to hear how our " discussion " went on construction day!

  

Me: Oh great! you're back! I'm so excited you got the wood today so we can get started!

Me ( a confused me ) after looking at the wood: Um mm honey, what are all these 2x4's for? I'm pretty sure I said RAISED BEDS didn't I? Remember? I wanted the wood to be eight inches high?  I mean, how am I supposed to grow flowers in a 4 inch high bed? 

Him:  I thought you wanted to use some of our scrap stone tiles as walls for the beds?

Me: Nooooo, I changed my mind and decided to just go with wood all around. Remember, we talked about it yesterday when we were outside cleaning the shed? Why didn't you call me from Home Depot? 

Him:  I thought we had everything figured out. Well, before you panic, ( any more ) hear me out!

Me: It's too late, I think you're going to have to return this wood! REALLY HONEY, I just want all wood, not stone. I really think that will take way to long and I'm anxious to get started! 

Him: Deep breaths, more deep breaths...SILENCE, calm but silent.

Me: I started to turn around and ( MARCH OFF IN A HUFF ) walk away with my sour puss and steam pouring out my ears and something stopped me in my tracks. I walked over to the stone tiles that were leaning against the shed and NICELY asked him to show me what me was envisioning. 

I'm not going to get too far with my flower farm if I'm throwing a tizzy now am I? 

Him: He arranges some tiles against the wood to show me what he means and I begin to SEE ( through my veil of stubbornness ) what he's talking about.

Me: OOOHHHH... so this is what you meant when you wanted to use the tiles as walls for the beds? OOOHHHH!!!. I see! Hey, if we use the stone tiles, then the beds will be 12 inches deep? Even deeper than the 8 inches I wanted  to begin with? 

Him: Uh huh ... ( can you see him grinning at me now ?) 

Me: OH!!! What a great idea... I love it!  It will cost less, and utilize a lot of the 

misc stone tiles too plus the beds will be easier to reach and I'll have deeper soil to plant in! 

 ( can you see me doing the happy dance ? ) 

Him: So, you want me to go ahead and build the frames then? ( still grinning and calm )

Me: YES! Please! Honey, I LOVE YOU! XOXOXOXO

 I really do love that man! 

  

So, there you have it: Now you know how we have stayed married for 20 years! I have a very, very patient ( but persistent ) husband!

Okay, now that  you've had your Lessons on Marriage from the Garden here are a few photos!

I love my guy's! Here they are screwing the 2x4x12's together! 

I actually had to return these... We are using 2x2s' not 1x2's which are screwed into the corner of each frame.

This image shows the first four beds in various stages of development. The front two are staked into the ground with 2x2 garden stakes from Home Depot and one bed has the stone tiles leaning up against the 2x4x12 frame for support. You can see the bed that is higher just hasn't been pounded into the ground yet. We are beginning to cover the ground with cardboard which will decompose naturally and keep grass out of the beds in the future. 

 Each bed will be filled with a bottom layer of organic matter, a middle layer of cock a doodle do compost from our chicken run, and the top 2-3 inches will be chipped wood from our trees and branches. The chipped wood covering will help the beds hold moisture, add vital nutrients to the soil as it DE-composes and will keep weeds at bay too! The entire raised bed area will eventually be surrounded by a four foot high garden fence ( what kind is still up for debate ). The fence will hide all those mismatched tiles and protect the fragile flowers from strong gusty winds that we sometimes get here in the south coast of New England.

Oh, how I can't wait to be showing you pictures of beautiful blooms,but every garden dream has a beginning and that's what spring is all about!  

How about you? What are you UP-CYCLING to make your garden dreams a reality this year?

I'm taking this post over to the Homestead Barn Hop!