2/26/2014
Hey everyone! We are up and running again with the blog so stay tuned in every week for updates and information that will be important for you to know. We have a lot of fun things planned for the next few months that are taking place on dates that are not our normal Sunday meetings. Here is our next up coming event for you to put on your calender. :)
March 29th - Saturday - 10:00am at Will & Jodie's
Gardening activity and raised garden box building!
This fun activity is set up to help everyone get prepared for our first family gardening year!
We will be doing two different activities on this day and each family will need to have their supplies purchased and ready to go to make these activities go smooth! Please contact either Will or myself if you have ANY questions about the supply lists.
1. Plant Our Starter Seeds!
Each family will need to bring their starter seed supplies with them when we meet at 10 am. There are two main ways of starting your seeds that you can choose from. We found all of our supplies at Walmart but they can be found at almost any home store.
Supplies Needed:
-Seed Starter Cups - either prepackaged soil starter cups (see above picture) that come in a pack or you can use plastic/styrofoam dixie cups or other small containers you have around the house. (Like old cartons that flowers came in last year or even empty egg shells in a carton can be used.) The difference is one you can plant the whole soil starter cup outside when you're moving them to your garden and the other kind you will need to remove the plant and soil out of to replant in your garden.
-Package of Soil - If you are going to use empty cups you will need to buy soil to put into them. My favorite choice is Miracle Grow - Garden and Vegetable for around $5 at Walmart. You don't need very much at all and can split the bag and cost with another family. :)
-Seed Packets of Your Choice - just make sure to check the space that your seeds need on the back of the package to make sure they are going to be happy in your small garden bed.
-Tray or Baking Sheet - to keep your plant cups on and to catch any extra water.
-Watering Can - your plants are going to be very small and fragile before you plant them outside. A gentle way of watering them so you don't wash them away or break them is a watering can. You can purchase a cheap one for around $1-$2 at Walmart, Home Depot, or even the dollar store!
Our 2nd activity is going to be going around and building each family's raised garden bed! One lady made a box by herself and she said it only took 30 mins to do! With all of us working together they are going to be built in no time!
(Ours will not have the seating around the edge but everything else is the same!)
2. Building Our Garden Boxes!
Each family that is wanting to do a raised garden box this year will need to purchase their supplies before the 29th. :) These supplies need to be left at your home or location that we are building your box at. Do not bring them with you to the seed planting activity that morning.
After hours and hours and hours of researching and leg work, we have found the following raised garden bed to not only be the longest lasting and simplest build but also the most cost effective. Please ask Will or myself if you have any questions or concerns about the construction and/or supplies needed for the beds. The following supply list is for 1- 6'x3' garden bed. If you would like your box longer or build more than one box to have more room to garden in then just purchase the same supplies for each of the boxes you would like! (or for one 12 foot long box purchase an extra 6 cedar fence slats) All of our prices are from Home Depot.
Important note: all of the wood supplies for the boxes are in Cedar. Cedar is one of the only woods available that is not chemically treated (so chemicals will not transfer to your soil and then to your plants) and is also mold and rot resistant. Your cedar box can live up to 50+ years! :) Lots of gardening!
Supplies Needed:
*Most Home Depot and Lowes stores will do all the wood cutting for you! Yeah!!!
*
-Cedar Fence Slats - with flat ends- you will need 9 of these 6 foot x 6 inch x 1 inch (really 5/8th inch but are called 1 inch) fence slats for 1 raised box -
get 3 of your 9 fence slats cut in half so that they are 3 feet long. These cedar fence slats costs
$2.45 each vs. buying cedar boards at $13.00+ each! Yikes!
-1- Cedar 2"x 4" - This will be what your corners are going to screw into. Your 2x4 needs to be cut into 18 inch long sections. You will need 4 of these 18 inch long sections for your 1 box. Your cedar 2x4 costs
$5.77 at Home Depot.
-Package of 1.5" Wood Screws - self explanatory! :) You will need at least 24 screws. (
$3.00 pkg)
-Easy Gardeners Weed Block Landscape Fabric - Each family's portion is
$5.00 - One roll will do
ALL of our garden boxes so plan on contributing just $5.00 for your portion when we get together on the 29th! Will and I will pick it up and have it available to you on that day. If you are planning on building more than 1 box please let us know so that we can make sure to pick up enough for all the boxes. :)
Rough Total Cost for 1 garden box - $35.82
Also, you can purchase stain if you would like to stain your raised garden box. You can either stain your wood before the 29th or stain it after it is put together. It's up to you but we will not be staining boxes on the 29th as part of the activity.
Do not buy soil for your garden boxes yet. We have a garden mixture delivery in the works that will cut your cost from almost $100 in store bought bags to only $20 for all of the nutrient rich soil your family will need! We will talk more about this on the 29th.
