In my last post I mentioned that we are using the square foot garden method for our raised vegetable garden. Because our box is small (only about 4×6 feet) I wanted to make the most of the square footage we had. Square foot gardening (SFG) was the perfect solution for us. Square foot gardening is essentially a raised bed divided into squares measuring 12×12 inches. Each square is planted with a different crop. Different plants have different space requirements, so for example while you can plant multiple carrot seedlings in one square, you may only have room for one tomato plant in your next square. Here is a a very quick primer for anyone who may be interested in learning a little more about this method:

• Traditional planting requires planting crops in long rows with space in between the rows. This may make sense if you are planting so extensively that you need heavy machinery to harvest, but for your home garden this just wastes space that could be planted.
• Square foot gardens typically have one type of plant per square foot. This allows you to plant a greater variety of vegetables/fruits/flowers.
• SFG is best done in smaller plots (no bigger than 4×6 feet) because at that size you can easily reach the middle of your garden to harvest without having to tread on your plants. This also makes this method ideal for smaller yards and gardens.
• While many people stick to a strict one-plant-per-square-foot layout, this method is flexible enough to let you customize your garden. For example, I didn’t want to plant enough different plants this winter to take up every square foot of our garden, but I did want extra beans, lettuce and green onions so here is what we ended up with:

• Our bean teepee took up a third of our garden but it is a crop that we want the most of. The SFG method helped us set up a general layout that is tailored to our specific garden needs. A more typical SFG would look like this:

Image and plans HERE

• As crops go to seed and are ready to be replanted it is easy to do this square by square rather than dig up an entire plot.

Square foot gardening is great for first time gardeners because it is easy to understand and maintain, and it allows you to experiment with different plants without having to plant an entire garden plot of one thing. If you are interested in learning more, I highly recommend the book “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew*–It has been my go-to source of information. Has anyone else tried square foot gardening? Anyone interested in using this method for your garden?

*I was not paid or perked to recommend this product. I simply found it to be the most helpful resource on Square Foot Gardening and I wanted to pass this resource on to my readers!

*Image found HERE*

Since we are using the square foot gardening method right now this planter is especially appealing. It would be easy to organize your plants and by adding an extra level you increase the visual interest simply by taking advantage of vertical space. For more information on square foot gardening THIS is a great place to start.

*Image found HERE*

Looking at more vertical planters I came across this unique idea. I can imagine that this style of planter would make harvesting your vegetables or taking flower clippings extra easy while creating high visual impact.

*Image found HERE*

Galvanized stock tanks add a striking metallic element to your outdoor space.

*Image found HERE*

These standard raised beds make a statement and definitely have me rethinking our unfinished boards. I may have to paint them after all.

*Image found HERE*

This concrete raised bed could definitely be DIY’d and do double duty by providing extra seating for outdoor entertaining. I also love that it defines the beautiful wood fence and brings a modern edge to the space.

*Image found HERE*

For a more traditional look this bed would be right at home in a cottage garden and has a rustic charm to it that I find especially appealing. I may try this stacked stone method in our front yard garden beds some day.

*Image found HERE*

This galvanized steel and stained wood planter is a style that could work in a variety of spaces. It would look beautiful on a modern patio or set in a rural backyard (can’t you see it alongside a chicken coop?)

So what is inspiring you in the garden? Do any of these planters belong in your yard? I am excited to take another look at my modest little wooden raised bed and see if painting it is something I want to tackle. You can find more inspiration on my Pinterest boards HERE.

With the time for winter seeding upon us in Arizona, we decided to take a big step in reviving the back lawn. If you too are dealing with an uneven and barren bit of dirt then there are a few surprisingly easy steps you can take to getting your winter grass on.

Materials List: Winter seed (we used Rye), lawn roller, handheld seed spreader, mulch or fill dirt as needed, steer manure, shovel

Step 1: Because we have some MAJOR holes and divets, our first step was to even out the ground. We mulched what little grass we had and filled in major holes with fill dirt. Then we ran our hose on almost full blast on and off for about 18 hours, until the ground was soggy and spongy when we stepped on it.

Step 2: Next we rented a roller from our local home improvement store for only $14 for the day. The roller is a hollow barrel on its side with a handle. Fill the drum with water (this makes it heavy) and roll it across the lawn from the high points towards the low points. This takes a while and I advise having someone with muscles do it (this is where Mr. Patch of Grass was indispensable!)

Simply fill the drum with water from the hose and it's ready to go!

Step 3: After your lawn is even, let things dry out for a day or two.

Step 4: Now spread the winter seed! We borrowed a seed spreader from a neighbor, but these are relatively inexpensive to purchase. Spread your seed making sure not to get in your rocks as this is a waste of seed and may result in grass growing where you don’t want it.

Handheld seed spreaders are great for small yards!

Step 5: Once your seed is spread you need to cover it with steer manure. Using your hands (you will want a lot of soap and a hot shower after this step) or a shovel spread a thin layer over your yard covering the seed.

Step 6: Water your lawn 5 times a day for 5 minutes. After about 2 weeks you can cut back on the water and enjoy your soft winter lawn. Right now we water for five minutes once a day, three times a week and everything is looking fresh and green. All in all, while it took a little work and a lot of water, leveling our lawn has been one of our favorite home improvements so far–it’s is so gratifying to have soft grass to walk on in the cool weather!

***Image of seeder found HERE, image of roller found HERE

(Image and Building Instructions Found HERE)

There are many advantages to building and growing in a raised bed: it makes it easier to control water drainage, you can customize your soil content, it is space efficient, and you can utilize square foot gardening methods to produce a consistent harvest.

Building a raised bed is easy and can be extremely inexpensive. We adapted the plans provided by Ana White; you can find them HERE.

A few suggestions:

• Always use UNTREATED wood when building raised beds for vegetables/fruits, otherwise the wood can leach chemicals into your food.
• If you don’t have a saw at home most home improvement stores will make up to five cuts for you on their saw. I’ve had them make twice that many cuts without charging me so it never hurts to ask if they can help you.
• Don’t buy compost and soil at the big box stores! We went to our local gravel company to buy a little fill dirt and found out they also sell compost and sandy loam (this is what we ended up buying) and it is a fraction of the cost of the bagged stuff you buy at Home Depot. We bought enough for our whole garden for about $20. If you are in Arizona, look up your local Pioneer Landscaping Materials*; this is where we went and we were very happy with the service.
• You can make a smaller version of this bed and by adding a bottom made of the same rot-resistant planks and lining the entire box with landscaping plastic, this could easily be adapted for apartment living. Adding casters to the base would make it easy to move around. Just make sure you get sufficient light for the plants you want to grow.

Mr. Patch of Grass shovels sandy loam at our local Pioneer.

For our bed we used untreated dog-eared redwood fence posts. Redwood is rot and insect resistant and the fence posts only cost $1.20 each. We needed eight posts for our bed which is about 4×6 feet. We also chose to keep ours the natural wood color but you could easily paint the outside of the box a fun color to brighten up your yard!

And here is our finished product with seedlings transplanted in. I will keep you posted on how things (hopefully) grow over the next few months so please check back so see our progress.

*I was not paid or perked by Pioneer. I was just very satisfied with their product and service and wanted to share my experience with you.

Today I want to take you on a quick tour of our front and back yard. This blog will be spending a good deal of time there and it would be rather rude to carry on without introducing you first.

When we purchased our home it was like so many short sales and foreclosures: broken sprinkler systems, overrun by weeds, sad dead sod…the list goes on. So we got to work; we pulled weeds, dug out dead plants, ripped out a fried tree, and started clearing gravel so we could dig up and repair the dripper lines. We were in full swing getting our outdoor space ship-shape.

Then between the two of us we were suddenly balancing a full time job, two part time jobs, a pregnancy, two full time school schedules, three dogs and a newborn, all while working on our home; the backyard took a backseat.

Here we are though, armed with knowledge, motivation and a lot of weed killer, ready to reclaim this barren space and create something great! Let’s start with the front yard shall we?

We have sage, rosemary and…not much else. We’ve already pulled up bushes, a tree and two large weeds (which we trimmed for months thinking they were proper plants!) The rosemary is pretty fried thanks to a summer with almost no rain (remember the broken sprinkler system?) and the sage is overgrown and generally blocks the path to the front door and the general view of the house.The gravel is thinning out, the exterior needs paint, new lighting, grass, a new tree (or two?) and something has GOT to happen with that sorry excuse for a “porch”.

Please join us as we look at inspiring spaces and make our outdoors outstanding because we’ve got big plans in store!

Next: The Beast, aka, The Backyard.