New Idea

I have come up with a different plan for my "garden".  I've been reading about "guerilla gardening" where you toss the seeds out into unused areas and allow them to grow (or not grow) however they will.  Since I couldn't get any help with preparing a garden space and I had already bought a bunch of seeds, I decided to plant the herbs (rosemary, basil, chives, dill, etc...) in containers.  The remaining seeds, such things as pumpkins, cucumbers, etc..., I chose places in the yard that are not likely to be mowed and planted the seeds directly in those places.  The kids and I are hand-watering them in hopes that they come up and produce vegetables.  I'll let you know if this method works....... lol....

No garden so far.

Its getting pretty late in the season and I still haven't been able to start my garden, mostly because of a lack of interest and committment on the part of my son, with whom I live.  The kids are all for it but my son and his wife keep waffling about it, so I guess it won't happen.  *sigh*  I was SOOOO looking forward to fresh tomatoes.

Gardening Update -- working out the plans

As I said in my original post, I need to do this garden with a bare minimum of financial outlay.  This means I'm not planning on buying anything for which I can use materials I have on hand.  Since both my son and daughter-in-law work in the fast food industry, I have decided to use the ever-present styrofoam to-go boxes for my seedlings instead of buying the disposable plastic seed starting trays.  I can make them into mini-greenhouses by covering them with plastic wrap.  From my experiences last year I know that this should help with the germination process.  I've been reading up on starting seeds, and I'll probably start them on paper towels, then separate them in soil after they have sprouted. 

I have already bought several kinds of seeds to start, but haven't begun the process yet.  I also have a list of other vegetables my grandkids want me to grow, so I need to make another trip to get the rest of the seeds I need.

We lucked out.  Apparently there are two rototillers in the shed behind the house we live in and the landlord said anything in there is fair game.  We don't know if either works, but hopefully one of my sons or my ex-hubby can combine them into one. Then its only a matter of convincing one of them to till up the garden area, since doing something like that would probably leave me bedridden for several days due to my back.  I won't have any of the grandkids, even the 13-year-old, use the tiller because it is too dangerous. 

I still haven't even figured out how big the garden will be or exactlly what will be in it.  I'm still working on that. 

I plan to take pictures of different steps along the way and will post them as well.  That way the whole thing will be documented.  Most of all I want my grandkids to have fun with this.  I'm looking at this project as a creative outlet for myself and the kids.  In my opinion there is nothing more important to teach a child than how to be self-sufficient and creative. 

What I am doing and why.

I have no business trying to grow a garden. My indian name would be "woman who kills plants." Giving me a houseplant is tantamount to putting it on death row. I once had plants in my cube at work that a friend took care of and they died even though I never touched them. I've even killed fake plants. In fact, one of my friends used to say that under "herbicide" in her dictionary it showed a picture of me.

Why, then, am I embarking on this project that is highly likely to fail? Because, if it works, this it the best way I can think of to bond with my grankids and help provide my grandchildren with plenty of vegetables this summer. I live with my youngest son, his wife, and their 5 kids and extra food is always welcome. To top it off, all of the kids love fresh vegetables.

Not only am I attempting a garden, I'm hoping to start all the plants from seeds. I learned how to start seeds properly last year as a little project I did with some of my other grandkids, so now I want to try it again. Of course, part of the reason I'm planning to grow the plants from seeds is to save money. I love to do things as frugally as possible. As an ex-boyfriend of mine used to say of me, "When she walks down the street in the springtime, birds call her name.... CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP!"

While I don't have any money to speak of to spend on this project, what I do have available is space -- a LOT of space. We live at the edge of town and have a huge yard which is actually a large lot with the fenced in field next to it included in the rental.

So we've worked out the "where." Now on to the "how." I have physical limitations that make it impossible for me to do all the work myself. What I do have available is 5 grandkids who live here, ages 13, 10, 6, 5, and 3, plus a couple of others who wander through on occasion. They are all enthusiastic about the whole garden project and talk about it all the time. Hopefully I can harness some of their energy and enthusiasm.

Since I'm doing this as cheaply as possible, I've asked on several sites for materials and assistance. We have no rototiller so I offered computer work and/or sewing for someone to till the ground and/or loan us a tiller to do it with. I put in the requests online last night, so we'll see how it goes.

I'll post more as things develop... or don't develop.