Planning a Garden

We both grew up in homes with large vegetable gardens and got used to having fresh vegetables in the summer. For the past 4 years, we've lived in apartments, and while we tried to have some plants (tomato and strawberry) on our porch last summer, it just didn't work. I think we got maybe 4 strawberries and 2 tiny little tomatoes. So buying our own home also meant that we'd finally be able to have our own garden!

For the past year we've been trying to figure out where exactly to put the garden. Summer was almost half over by the time we bought the house, and we didn't actually move in until the fall, so we just used the time to scope out the sunniest spot in the yard. Luckily for us that spot happens to be where we have a big bare spot of grass. We think the previous owner had an above ground pool there for awhile and just never planted grass when he removed the pool.

R is concerned about the soil.. the house has been here for 240 years... who knows what is buried in the backyard. So we decided to build a raised garden. For now, we're planning for it to be 8'x4', and approximately 10" off the ground. I've also read that raised gardens help your vegetables grow quicker and better, because the sun can warm the soil faster and more efficiently, and you are able to control what kind of soil you use. So it's really a win-win situation for us.

We'll be building the garden tomorrow, but until then, here are some raised garden inspiration pictures. I like the little ledge/seat the first one has... seems like it would come in handy.