Inch by Inch, Row by Row

Today I found a window of opportunity to get the raised bed ready to plant. I went over to Mom's house and got the rototiller, and brought it back and tilled up the soil in the beds.

Then I went to ACE Hardware and bought some bags of potting soil, and brought them back to add to the beds. Oh, I love how dark, fertile earth looks before it is planted.

I love getting my hands in the dirt, and working it around.

As I was working today, I was reminded of a song I use to sing with my guitar when The Princess was little. In fact, I taught it to her whole first grade class, and we did a little program based on "The Garden Song."

Here are the words:

The Garden Song

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground.

Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumblin' down

Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
'Cause the time is close at hand

Rainful rain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care

Old crow watchin' hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there.

Words and music by Dave Mallett

Below is John Denver singing this song on "The Muppet Show".



Here are some pictures of the fruits of my labor today, and some shots of color around my yard.

Here is a shot of the beds after they were tilled.


Don't you love the way we have used the old volleyball net in our garden?



I hope to plant some lettuce, spinach, radishes and mesclun in this bed soon.

Here is a pretty pink hyacinth.
The raspberry canes are leafing out.

Daffodils are so cheerful!!!


Some lighter pink hyacinths in the front yard.


Lupines are one of my favorite flowers, and I was so excited to see this one returning in the front flower bed.


And one of the delphiniums is also coming up, along with a remnant of a Halloween spider web attached to the back of the plant.


One of the hosta plants is making its' way up through the earth.


And my little angel continues to keep watch over the front flower bed's progress.

Raised Beds and Flower Pots

Some women enjoy receiving flowers.

Others, a diamond ring.

Maybe others would be wowed by a nice box of chocolates.

I didn't get any of these this weekend...and that was fine with me.

My husband built me four wonderful gifts this weekend...raised garden beds.

Aren't they beautiful!!

PKR is so resourceful. Our wooden deck on the back of the house needs replaced, so he took the deck apart, and used the wood from the deck to build me four raised beds.

In box #1 I planted five tomato plants, basil and a Caribbean Red Pepper.

Box #2 has zuchinni and thyme and oregano.

Box #3 has two different kinds of bush peas, and two different kinds of bush beans. Box #4 has lettuce, arugula, mesclun, spinach, Swiss Chard, and two different kinds of carrots. We were fortunate to have a lot of compost built up, so we filled most of the boxes with the compost, then added some potting soil and steer manure on top. A wonderful feast for my newly planted seeds and plants.

I also planted the flower pots in the front yard.

The front flower bed is springing to life, with all kinds of colors and the green hostas are bursting forth too.
Here are three of my other pots with one of my roses I planted last summer getting off to a good start this spring.