Gardening 101

Today David and I celebrated my birthday... we just had the best day! Best birthday yet!

My main gift from David was the garden. We tried having a good one last year in boxes but it just didn't work out as well so he planned an entire day of flower/vegetable/dirt buying! I am so very blessed that he enjoys doing this too. We literally have been working all day in this gorgeous sunshine... it has been wonderful! 

So Gardening 101...

7 gardening plots were up for grabs here at the apartment complex...

David and I decided our patio container garden wasn't going to cut it this year so we picked out our plot today... 

#2 it is!

Gardening 101 TIP #1... set a budget. 

Sit down and figure out how much you can spend.

After choosing Plot #2 David started on the logistics. Seeing how much room we had to work with. This plot allows us to have sun loving plants! With my porch getting mainly shade, it is hard to grow veggies! 

But I am excited about my porch too--- I got to choose some great shade loving flowers... using a purple, lime green, and white color scheme :)

TIP #2: Measure your area you are working in.

TIP #3: Take note of how much sun your area receives. Try to look at 3 different points in the day (morning, midday, and evening).

TIP #4: Feel of the soil you are working in. See if you need to get top soil to mix in. Or if it just horrible dirt then you might need to consider building a garden box. The Pioneer Woman has a great post on how to build one.

TIP #5: Get a notebook to have all your notes in and to stay organized. I got this one at TJ Max. It even has different tabs... Gardening Basics (1), Plot Plans (2), Calendar (3), Plant Log (4), and Notes (5).

TIP #6: Make sure you don't out buy your space in your vehicle. Plants, unlike Christmas Trees, should not be strapped on the top of your vehicle (haha). So grab/borrow a truck or SUV or make sure your car has enough space for your purchases. 

I have done this every year... obviously on a super small scale! Ha I usually had like 1 or 2 plants.. then of course herbs!

But having David plan an entire day of gardening for my birthday was just super special. We had some great quality time together! 

I took pictures of the planting process... no worries, tomorrow's post for sure. I just wanted to get a few pictures on here and some tips for those of you who might be on the edge of 

to garden or not to garden!

Please choose TO GARDEN! It is awesome and it will make you feel great!

I am off to bed... Waking up a bit earlier to get the mulch on the plants so the garden will be set for a full day of sun before the storms on Monday! 

Then off to teach good ol' Dayshift in Zone 56!

Soak up that sun tomorrow and laugh a lot!

More Gardening 101 tomorrow :)