Our raised garden and flower bed is now up and in action. Since building it a couple of weeks ago I haven’t had much time to tend to my beautiful bed, so I dedicated today to planting everything and making it look beautiful. I love how it looks in our backyard, I feel like it should be on HGTV or something like that.
Before I planted everything this afternoon, I did more web researching about how to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrients. I really want to make the most of it while I am trying to eat healthy and keep my menopause symptoms at a distance.
I read that planting a “cover crop” like alfalfa keeps the soil aerated. Alfalfa has deep root systems that pull work to pull the nutrients from deep in the soil to the surface so they are there for other plants. They also add nitrogen to the soil so the plants grow better.
Another fun fact I found out about raised flower beds is that because the plants have a smaller growing area they shad out weeds. The close spacing makes it easier to water and pick the vegetables that are growing in it.
Because it is the fall I decided to plant transplants that are about a month old so they will grow faster and fill in quicker. I read that replenishing the soil with compost when I replant will help keep the nutrients in the soil. I will definitely try compost as much as I can.
After all my great information I got on the web, I got planting. Living in Florida allows me to plant and garden year round, yay for me. I can’t wait to have my own fresh veggies and flowers. I planted broccoli, lettuce, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and radishes. I also planted some herbs like dill, garlic, and ginger. I bought a few already potted flowers from the store and transplanted them into my garden so it looks colorful and beautiful now. I got some English marigolds, Johnny jump-ups, petunias, among others.
I am very pleased with my raised garden so far. I can’t wait until the vegetable and herb plants start yielding so I can cook using my own veggies.
Until next time,
Nancy
