Starting from Zero

​When I purchased my little acre 16 years ago my mind raced with ideas of what it could become, but to start with my children and I had to clean the slate. What we started with was once a town dump and and abandoned 140 year old home full of skunks, wasps, bugs and weeds. In a way we started with less than zero, at a deficit with rocky soil, old trash, some dead trees, mounds of debris, and very little money, tools or skills.

Perhaps it takes a sense of naive arrogance to take on a project like this but that CAN DO mentality is how things get done, fixed, changed and invented. If I'd known then what I know now I may not have attempted it but luckily I was younger, less experienced, and definitely full of hope and promise.

Building Raised Beds From Salvaged Items

​​​There are many items that make great container and raised beds. Some can be salvaged from junkyards, salvage yards, or old farms and even from your own yard or neighborhood. Many of the things I've built my raised beds from were found at nearby construction sites, storage yards, and salvaged from an old metal shed that came down during a large snowstorm a few years ago.

I find that at least 18" tall works best for raised beds and container bins because it gets the garden up where it's easier to maintain and holds enough water and moisture to not need as frequent of watering.


 

Vegetable Garden

Ten years ago I started to imagine my vegetable garden and how I wanted it to function. I had rocky soil, no irrigation rights, and had to consider how to water, fence, and locate the garden where I could best maintain it. The sunniest part of my yard was on a rocky hill and the most level area was partly shaded.

My husband and I hired a friend with a Bobcat to clear the area and level it and then we started to build the beds. It was hard work but when we were done it worked just as we'd planned and  has been very productive and easy to maintain.