Tag Archives: dirt

How to build a raised garden bed

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Hello everyone! Happy Memorial Day Weekend. God Bless our Soldiers here and gone. Be sure to be thankful for our freedoms. This weekend is one of those long weekends that you are either traveling or getting a ton of yard work done. I really wanted to be able to show this in a video but unfortunately I have a bit of research and learning to do before I can accomplish that goal. Not to mention I am a bit camera shy?! LOL

What you will need for this project is:

4) 1 in x 6 in x 8 ft   long boards  - cut into 4 ft sections

2) 4 in x 4 in x 8 ft long posts-cut into 6 sections that are 16″ tall  (you can cut these shorter if desired. Minimum 12″ in height)

1 box of decking screws 3- 3-1/2 in long

1 to 1-1/2 yards of good dirt

Drill, and drill bit with counter sink drill bit (drill bit has to be a smidge smaller than the diameter of your screw)

1-1/2 hrs of time

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As you can see I have my seed starter kits out and ready for planting. 

First of all I started cutting my wood up into 4 foot sections. If you do not have a table saw or a skill saw Home Depot will do this on site for you. It is a free service they offer. Pretty cool I think. That way your vehicle doesn’t look like this! Don’t forget if your hauling long boards sticking out past your tail lights you need to put red flags on them. Informing the driver behind you to take caution. Home depot also provides these at no cost.

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I then cut my 4×4 IN into 16″ sections. I did this so that if I don’t have time to seed a head of time I can fasten some bisqueen (light plastic) over the posts so that it will act as a terrarium. It helps keep the seeds to germinate and keeps moisture in until there is no danger of frost and they are big enough to handle the elements.

Once you have everything cut you are ready to assemble! 

Here are few pictures of drilling your holes. You need to have them on a pretty good angle in order for them not to show. The best way to demonstrate that is to show you pictures.  Begin by drilling a hole straight into the board.

P1080523Then proceed by using that hole and drilling in an upward almost 30 degree angle. P1080522

Make sure you come out approximately in the middle of the board.

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This makes it really easy when you go to insert the screws into the 4×4 sections you have cut. Set your bottom board just past the lip of the 4×4 post and drill the bottom and then the top hole. You will notice that the screw will pull the two boards together nice and tight.  Once you have the first board in place add the second board on top of the first as if building another level.

I assembled all of my sections with the 4×4 to my left on a flat surface in my work shop then I took all the sections out to where I would be putting the permanently and fastened them all together. You should have a total of 6 of these sections. Take a look at the picture and you will see how easily the way I did it will go. Think assembly line! LOL 

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Choose a good location 6-8 hours of sun! 

Once you have it assembled in place. Start throwing in the dirt….it takes a yard to a yard and a half. We had dirt delivered specifically for this project and for some other areas of my yard that needs some tending to.

You can never have enough dirt and rocks to decorate your yard with!

Memorial day weekend is usually the weekend that some of us backyard gardener’s like to use as a rule of thumb for planting! Usually there is no threat of frost by then but keep an eye out just in case.  

If my garden is blessed and prospers this year hopefully I will be working with Maria in the kitchen at harvest time and we can show you how to can and freeze your fruits and veggies!

Everyone have a wonderful holiday weekend. God bless our troops! Be safe this weekend!

God, I am grateful that I have the freedom to grow my own garden and that we have the ability to watch it grown from seed to fruit. Help us to be a fruitful spirit as well. AMEN

Girl Friday

Mischele Makhlouf

How to Split Perrenials

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Hello Everyone! Now is a good time to get in the gardens and split some perennials. I took this picture of the flowers on my friends Magnolia tree. It is simply gorgeous. Don’t you just love spring when everything is beginning to look green and spring flowers are everywhere. It is a very beautiful world we live in!

We decided to move some Lilly’s they tend to multiple quite quickly. First we got the area we are transplanting them in prepped so the little guys won’t be out of the environment too long.

cancuun and project 010    Prepped area!

We have a huge are of day Lilly that we are going to thin out. First of all you are going to need a Garden pitch fork, Shovel and gloves (see pictures below)

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Isn’t my girlfriends garden beautiful?!

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Pitch fork! Using 2 of them back to back is the best way to split the roots without breaking them. 

Yep this is me playing in the dirt!

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First you want to shove your fork in underneath the plant and try to loosen the clump from all sides then you want to gently pop it out of the ground.

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Once it is out of the ground, you can either pull it gently apart or use the forks to separate them into 2 or 3 individual plants. For Hosta’s that don’t separate as easily I use a spade shove and just cut them in half or thirds. It is actually healthy for the plant because then they don’t get deceased or root bound and die.

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Lilly’s do not require a very deep hole, dig a nice deep hole so you have some nice loose dirt in the bottom for the roots to take. 

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Place your plant in the hole and start covering it with dirt. If it is really hot you may want to water it at the base to help it along.

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Voila! you are all set!  Of course they won’t be the only things we add in here. These lilies get pretty tall and will provide a beautiful back drop for the lower plants we will be adding in the front. As you are transplanting keep in mind the amount of sun the need. Splitting perennials is best done in the spring before the plant flowers and fall after the plant flowers (if they flower). For fun, I will try to update you in a future article just to show you how beautiful this area will be by the time we get it all planted and mulched. Speaking of much, it is a pretty in expensive way to keep the weeds down as well as keeping moisture in over the plant. It looks great too! 

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I also wanted to share this beautiful plant with you it is a Crown plant she had in her garden and I was amazed with the color and how large the flower is and how tall it stands. I have never seen one before so it was exciting to learn about something new. It looks like something from the tropics. I find it really cool that it is a perennial that can reside here in Michigan. 

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Hope you guys enjoy the weather and have fun in the garden. God blessed us with all these beautiful flowers, try to take time out to enjoy. If you have the opportunity this summer take a garden tour. You will be amazed and what you can learn by just participating. I used to volunteer for the Libraries annual garden tour and really help me get started on my own gardens. 

Have a great week! Happy Mothers Day to all the gals out there!

Girl Friday

Mischele Makhlouf