Friday, April 6, 2012

The Components

The first thing I wanted to get were the boxes. I know, I know, I know I needed to not get carried away. We decided on 4 - 4x4 raised beds. This is what I bought and am very happy with. The price was great and I liked the looks and sturdiness of them.

 



So, it was time to find my vermiculite. From reading the blogs, I was afraid it would be hard to find. The vermiculite data base on the website was a great help. We live about an hour away from the city, but it's not uncommon for us to make a trip for things we can't get in small town Iowa. It showed that Earl May, a well known garden center in Iowa, carried it. I made a quick dash to Des Moines and found it with no problem. There was still plenty of time before planting and I was still reading and learning, so I didn't deal with any other components on this trip.

At this point, it seemed the more I read in the book and on the forums, the more I started to panic! I had already invested lots of time and some money and what started out as being simple, seemed to be a little overwhelming. Thank goodness for the posts that said 'don't worry about being perfect' and 'do the best you can with what you have'. Comments like that gave me the courage to dive back in. (It's kind of my character to want things perfect the first time - I should know by now they usually aren't and don't have to be!)

Now for the composts. I had decided I could deal with what I could find since resources 'might' be limited. Another trip to Des Moines produced 5 types of compost and peat moss. We had also decided we'd do mulch around the beds, so it was great to have a truck to haul everything!

So let's see if we have everything...

4 Raised Boxes - Check!
Weed Barrier Paper - Check! (already had some)
Vermiculite - Check!
5 Composts - Check!
Peat Moss - Check!
String/Screws - Check! (had these - needed for making the square foot grid)
Shims for Plant Markers - Check!
Misc. Garden Tools/Water - Check!
STRONG HUSBAND - DOUBLE CHECK!

(Note to self - KISS - Keep It SIMPLE Sweetie!)  So many, many options but we MUST keep the first year simple and stick to the basics!



Next...how everything came together.  Oooohhh!!!!!