I know, big shocker, right?
I'm always working on something, it seems.
Even more of a shocker?
Remember I told you
yesterday that I had a very productive and wonderful
weekend?
And that I'm very,
very sore ever since?
Well, part of what
made me so happy....and so incredibly sore....was creating my new herb garden
up on my deck.
I did think about
putting the herb garden down on the stone patio, but I really wanted the
herbs right outside the kitchen door. It just makes the most sense - after
all, that's where the magic happens, right?
And now I look out my
kitchen window and I feel all fancy, like I have a potager in Provence.
Ok, it's hardly a true
potager, but let me have my dream....
Anyway, here's how it
all went down.
On Saturday the
weather was just perfect to be working outside. I was puttering around the
house and gardens doing this & that...and Sweetie came to my house and
spent time on the deck putting together my two new herb boxes.
I was so excited!!
I know, don't judge....I'm pretty lame, no doubt.
To make the boxes more
practical, I bought 12 casters so Sweetie could put 6 on each box. This way
they can be moved for cleaning, deck painting, etc.
As soon as they were
all assembled I used my superhuman strength to carry two huge bags of peat
moss up a flight of stairs to dump in as the first level of soil.
Peat moss is great as
a bottom layer in a large planter like this. It's lightweight, helps keep the
nutrients in the soil, is relatively inexpensive for the amount that you get,
and of course it's organic.
To find out more about
peat moss's wonderful uses in the garden, check out this
article.
The next layer in the
planter boxes was the beautiful compost my sweetie brought over in 5 gallon
buckets.
Another heavy load to
carry up the stairs!
For the top layer, I
had to run to our local Ace Hardware and pick up some organic potting soil. I
bought everything they had left in stock.
I'm pretty sure that
all the staff members at Ace are convinced by now that I'm crazy.
It may or may not be
true. I'm not saying.
Anyway, once I had all
the layers in the boxes I used my Garden Weasel to mix it all up.
I truly love that
garden toy. Remember I told you all about it in this
post?
When the soil was
ready to go, I headed over to the veggie garden to dig up all the perennial
herbs and re-plant them in the new boxes. I'm still not sure what's going to
come back after those cold nights we had, but I'll find out soon.
I also added some
herbs I picked up when I was off the mountain .
Box number one has
Lavender, Purple Sage, French Tarragon, Lemon Thyme, and Italian Oregano. And
I seeded some Dill in the back.
Box number two has
Rosemary, Greek Oregano, Garden Sage, Sweet Marjoram, German
Thyme, and Dill seeded in the back.
I still need to add
Basil and Parsley after the danger of frost....and who knows what else.
Possibly some Savory or Chervil.
The Mojito Mint is in
a separate planter so it doesn't take over the world. Same with the Chives -
I dug them all out of the veggie garden and potted them up.
The herb garden is
right outside the kitchen door, on the other side of my L-shaped deck from
the dining and
firepit seating areas.
There is some
additional seating on this side of the deck, along with the barbecue and the
hose.
At the corner of the
L, by the tall staircase leading to the stone path and parking area, is my
deck swing.
Not to be confused
with the swing by
the garden cottage, which is new this year. I am so blessed,
no doubt.
The deck swing has
been in 3 homes with me so far and I love it.
This swing faces the
dining table and firepit area, as well as the bird feeders. It's a fantastic
place for morning coffee.
Looking back towards
the kitchen door, smaller staircase, and garage you can see the herb boxes on
the right.
I just love my new
herb garden and can't wait until the herbs really start filling in those
boxes!
I have plans to add a
vertical element to the herb garden as well....stay tuned for more on
that.
The large red
container in the corner will be planted with colorful annuals, with something
tall in the center. I have two more large red containers, and all three get
planted the same for continuity.
While I was at it, I
did another very, very smart thing, that I should have done ages ago - I
added wheeled
saucers under all the planters on the deck.
It will make things so
much easier when trying to clean up the deck because these red planters
seriously weigh a ton!
But do you want to
know what the real star of the show was this weekend?
This little guy. Oh
my, he saved my back! I sat on this little stool and did all the planting in
the herb boxes, scooting from one box to the other like I was in a race car!
My sweetie gave me
this little stool a few years back as one of my Christmas gifts. I didn't
quite know why he would be giving me a mechanic's wheeled stool....until he
explained it was for me to use when working on my deck planters.
Did I ever tell you
how smart my sweetie is?
Pure genius, I tell
you.
But don't tell him I
said that. I wouldn't want it to go to his head.
Shhhhhhh......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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