it begins

we began the garden planning process many months ago, but it wasn't until today that i decided to start a blog to share this satisfying project. so bear with me as i go back in time and reflect on the beginnings of the schwartz family farm...attempted abridged version, of course.

eager to play with our new home and yard, brian and i set out to create raised beds in the backyard this past March. items needed - wood, dirt...that's pretty much it. but then of course we had to build the beds, figure out exactly where we wanted them, what would go into them, and where we'd get the soil from (our little compost bin isn't producing quite enough - maybe because we're not turning it as we should. blast.).

we picked up some untreated lumber at home depot. since building the beds, we have used scrap pieces of salvaged wood to create other planting areas in the yard (free wood is always best, just make sure it's not treated).

i found cedar grove compost to be reasonably priced for the amount of organic soil we ordered (somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 cubic yards - enough to fill 4 - 4x8 beds plus the rest of our gardening beds - A LOT). we decided to get a couple of blends - the veggie mix (sandy soil and compost) and pit-washed dairy manure (really light, not too stinky, and very high in nutrients). of everything i've read online and in books, good soil is essential to plant growth. not a brainbusting thought, but often overlooked.

next up...what to plant? i had spent a couple of months before this time researching this question. then one day in february, i found myself at the downtown whole foods - they'd just gotten in a shipment of "seeds of change" organic and heirloom varietal seeds. i bought several types of tomato seeds, lettuces, herbs, radishes, corn, kale, arugula, broccoli raab, chard. we had some cucumber, carrot, and fava bean seeds already at home - gifts we'd been longing to plant since the holidays. we bought some seeds and starts at city peoples (sorrel, bell peppers, strawberries, huckleberries, rhubarb) and shared/traded seeds with my pal libby.

yeah, that last paragraph makes me sound like a nut. i probably over did it, but it's hard not to.