While I am on the subject of gardening and weeding, I thought I would describe how Tom and I have been preparing our garden for spring.

When we moved in there was a raised garden bed behind the house.  Although Tom and I did a lot of gardening when we were kids, we haven’t had a garden together in our married life.  It is just easier and cheaper to buy what we want at the grocery store or Farmer’s Market.  Produce is never very expensive, but having a garden can be.

But, if we are going to be spending more time in Ohio, having a vegetable garden might be a nice hobby.  So we decided to clear out the garden in the the back and then, perhaps, plant some things next spring.

The garden bed in about 8 feet by 7 feet.  That doesn’t sound like much when you are comparing it to a big back yard.  But it gets pretty big when you think about weeding it.  The previous owners had not used it for a garden in years, so the weeds and grass had taken over.  I had to use a spade to dig them up.  But the ground, once the weeds were up, is very soft and fertile.  I found lots of earthworms in the moist, loose soil.  Always a good sign.

It took me several days to get all the weeds out.  They were really packed in and I got a good workout trying to get them out.  But, eventually I prevailed and got all the grass and weeds out.  Then Tom mulched some of our fall leaves and put a deep layer on top of the soil.  This will add some calcium and magnesium back in the soil to help balance it for planting.

I noticed the boards around the bottom of the garden bed are rotting. Tom and I designed a fancier, higher garden bed with a special lid over it.  But then we decided to wait and see if we actually feel like growing anything before investing money in raising the bed.  We might, after a year, decide the expense and time aren’t worth growing our own vegetables.

Do you have a vegetable garden?  Why or why not?  What are the benefits to you? What is your favorite thing to grow?  Let me hear from you!