Backyard Adventures

I am so fed up with this crazy winter! I seriously am about to blow! If winter doesn't pack its bag and move on out I think I am going to explode. In my last attempt to persuade winter to leave, I got to working in the backyard. I am hoping that if I begin living and breathing under the premise that "If you build it they will come", that Spring will very soon be on her way to town.

So yesterday Baby DIVA and I went on a backyard adventure. I drank half a monster, you know the energy drink, and several hours later we had a full garden and a new patio. After all I completed yesterday, I am thinking a monster might be in order more often! Don't ask, cause I am gonna tell you all about it!

Now you have probably heard me rant on and on again before about how my pretty little Pink Haired family is on a pretty tight budget. We coupon shop, discount hunt, freecycle stalk, the works, all so I can be a SAHM to baby DIVA; very much worth all the effort! Anyway with this horrid winter and our tight budget we know for a fact that fruits and veggies are gonna tap into our fundage this year, and tap hard. This crazy weather has already began to wreck havoc on the nations food supply. So we are gonna grow our own. Not to mention we also just love fresh veggies, and I am thrilled to finally have a full garden of my very own! I feel so proud seeing those little green leaves sparkle in the sun. almost like giving birth again, well without all the pain. Well you know what come to think of it, the back pain of both are similar....anyway moving on.

Keeping our budget in mind, I devised a cheap, simple and easy to construct plan for our garden. You are probably gonna laugh, but seriously I spent less than 10 bucks on this garden! And just imagine the profit we are gonna have when all the fruits and vegetables mature, 10 bucks spent on a full summer of food! Yippee! It may or may not turn out to be a genius plan, but who cares. It is all about trying and learning and enjoying myself right?

Laying out the design

How did I do this budget conscious garden? I purchased 4 6ft fence slats and assembled them in a box like shape. Now I did not attach the slats with nail or screws, this could be done, but I preferred just using bricks on the corners of the box design, personal preference, I am weird. H4L says i have a little ghetto in me, I just call it Pink Haired white trash, but whatever. After I constructed my square I laid out some black weed cloth to cover the entire inside portion of the box, (already had this leftover from last year). Then I filled the box up with nutrient rich soil and compost from the compost bin I started last spring. Simple. Elegant. Cheap. And I do love playing in the fresh dirt. Feels so cool and I know there are no scary bugs in it yet!

The soil box

Once the soil was in place, Baby DIVA stepped up to help. She planted some various knick knacks she found throughout the yard, careful to only use her feet to bury, as she does not like to get her DIVA hands dirty. After she completed her"planting", I went to work on the planting of baby plants and she went off to terrorize our cat. We have quite the variety this year, some oldies but goodies, like tomatoes, and also some new items like strawberries. I do not know what will grow to perfection, hoping all of it, but as a novice gardener this budget friendly design not only lends a helping hand to my pocketbook, but it also does not allow my spirit to break if one of my little green pals does not perform as expected. Cheap equals a great learning tool also.

Baby DIVA toe planting

My Pink Haired White trash non nailed boards (bricks were free BTW)

So what is Pink Haired Momma growing in this budget friendly piece of earth? As far as baby plants go we have red and orange bell pepper, spinach 2 varieties, a salad green mix, broccoli, tomato, strawberries, lavender, rosemary, and sweet basil. Still in pots and hoping to get some sproutage are butternut squash, zucchini, cucumber, and cilantro. I am already plotting and planning all the yummy treats I can concoct in the kitchen with fresh veggies and herbs. I can not wait. In no time I might just be that crazy Pink haired lady out singing and chatting to her little green leaf friends. Commit me.

My fun cheap little garden

Oh and the garden is not all that went down! After Baby DIVA and I completed the fabulous little backyard garden a second adventure presented itself. Yep. I had an ADD moment when I needed to move a stone out of the way of the new garden. Figured if I moved one might as well move 100 or so. Sometimes I wonder about myself and my "ideas". But it worked out wonderful. All by myself, lifting each stone one by one, I built a patio. I am quite proud, but man I am sore and tired. But now H4L, Baby DIVA and myself have a pleasant area to sit at in the backyard while dining on the fabulous fruits of my labor, well in a few months at least!

Patio built by Pink Haired Momma!