a place of our own

I can't even begin to explain how exhausted I am. But its a good feeling. An accomplished one. We completed my garden today!

It started with our soil delivery. Discount Landscape Supply dropped off 3 cubic yards of premium amended topsoil around 11 am. We decided on this soil because it is a screened soil/compost blend good for all types of garden projects. This was a MUCH bigger job than we anticipated though. The delivery truck was HUGE and was too tall to make it under our neighbor's tree. This meant that instead of having the load dropped right by our back fence, it had to be dumped in the middle of our gravel driveway. 3 yards also ended up being too much soil. I did the calculations and thought it would be enough for the two 4x8 raised beds plus a little left over for other projects. Unfortunately, there was a LOT left over. Drew and I spend the better part of the day moving soil into the beds, around trees and into containers and we still have a huge pile that we relocated to the back fence in case we think of anything else. All I can say is THANK GOD for the little wheelbarrow we bought yesterday. I don't even know how many hundreds of trips it made today.

Once the soil was moved, we built a little fence around the garden. The dogs are great, but they are fast and clumsy- not the best combination around delicate plants. The sides are pretty much secured chicken wire with a black iron gate as an entrance. I LOVE it. Not only will it keep the dogs out, but I feel like I have my own secret garden- an area just for me. It adds so much beauty and character to the back yard as well. I keep looking out the window at it, it makes me so happy.When the big steps were complete, I was able to start the fun part- planting! I started with the Rocky Top lettuce blend, arugula, and Danvers carrots. My snap pea seeds needed to soak for 24 hours so they will go in tomorrow. All of the other seeds (corn, zucchini, watermelon, kale etc) need to wait until after last threat of frost. In Denver, we have an 80% chance of no frost after May 18 so I'm going to wait until then. As far as the seedlings, I want to wait until they are bigger and stronger with more adult leaves before I start the hardening process. I now have baby okra, cucumber, Brussels sprouts, and hot peppers joining the tomatoes, peppers & eggplants. Its so funny how attached I am to these little guys. I want them to have as good a chance as possible before transferring them to their new home.

On top of everything else, Drew and I planted two Spruce saplings in the side yard. We got them for free from our neighborhood Ace Hardware for Arbor Day! They are adorable and we hope they are able to mature into beautiful trees! Yesterday we were considering buying a peach tree to go in the yard. Though we still want one, we were MUCH too busy to deal with that today so we've put it off.

Though I'm achy, tired and sunburned, I can't get over this feeling of pride and accomplishment I have for the amazing project we have completed. I also, for a moment, have to compliment Drew. Gardening is not his thing, and honestly he's not even really a fan of vegetables. But he has been working so hard on this garden, from design to implementation because he knows it is important to me. This weekend we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and this garden to me is such a testament to our relationship. We both worked so hard to grow something together. It is the best gift I ever could have asked for.