and we're off...

Today is day one of my little building project.  The beds have been laid out - and some really awesome and strong guys are doing the hard parts.  I'm just supervising.

Ripping out the turf - my most hated gardening chore.

Three-foot beds around the perimeter - not too far to reach across, but wide up to have climbers growing up the fence and something else planted either in front or below.

One of the nice things about starting from scratch is being able to have things exactly how you want them (or how much your budget will allow).  One of the great things about our new property is this mostly flat and out of the way spot which happens to get full sun all day.  Okay, that's not a coincidence.   During our house hunt I rejected at least 20 gorgeous houses because the property wasn't right, yes my husband is quite patient.

I was thinking this morning about how much my vegetable gardening has changed over the years.  Back before we had this kind of land, and back before I was involved with a large community gardening project everything I grew was in pots, on the decks of various houses and condos we lived in.  It's actually quite efficient.  If you hate weeding, growing veggies in pots is the way to go.  I wish I had pictures of them all, but this is one example of the production out of a 3x3 container (and this was back when my kids actually used to help).

A few weeks later, peas, cherry tomatoes, beets, carrots and spinach all sharing space

Now that vegetable gardening has become hip (the one and only time I have been ahead of a trend) there are so many fabulous and gorgeous new options - check this out, courtesy of Gardeners Supply

Swiss Chard, basil and nasturtiums (edible flowers) growing in a self-watering pot.  And no, that doesn't mean they actually self water.  These are so nice, I think I might have to order a few during the winter sale - just in case my new vegetable garden doesn't have enough space :)