How to Build a Raised Garden Bed (Part One)

Step 1: Pick a spot in your yard that you would like to build the garden beds.

We picked an area at the end of our driveway. There were a few dead trees that I had been contemplating removing, so I convinced Jason that this area would be great for the vegetable gardens we have wanted to build.

Our driveway.

Dead trees.

Step 2: Remove any obstacles.

For us, this entailed removing the dead trees.

First I clipped all of the branches. This process only took about 20 minutes. Those limbs would practically just snap off.

Dead trees - branch free.

Step 4: Pick a design for your garden bed.

We researched several designs, but chose one that would entail using untreated redwood or cedar 2"x12"s anchored by 4"x4"s.

Step 5: Determine and locate materials.

Since we had a drill and the bits we needed, all we had to purchase was the lumber and bolts. After calling several lumber yards that only had pressure treated lumber, we found a place in the Heights that carried the lumber we were looking for.

Step 6: Break your windshield while loading your materials.

Feel free to skip this step if you so desire.

Awesome.

We originally wanted to use 10' foot boards. We folded the back seats down and laid the lumber all the way from the trunk to the windshield.

After this happened, we replaced the 10' boards with 9' boards so they would fit in the Civic.

Step 7: Pay for your materials.

So after the whole broken windshield debacle, I headed inside with the sales clerk. He rang up our 3 2"x12"x9' and 1 4"x4"x8' redwood boards. I sat there thinking that I really hoped it cost around $50 and that $100 would be a bit expensive. Before he even told me the total, I glanced at the screen. It was over $1,000. That's a one with three zeros. I checked the date on my phone to make sure it wasn't April 1 and this was some sort of bizarre joke. Oh no, that's what they really cost. Apparently we had chosen some fancy shmancy wood that was fit for a palace.

I consulted with the clerk for a bit about our wood options. The only wood that would come even close to the $100 price tag would be pressure treated pine. Everything we read had told us not to use pressure treated lumber because the chemicals could transfer to the food.

Step 8: Flag down your husband and remove the materials from your car. Carefully.

Jason thought I was mad for flagging him down and telling him to carefully remove all wood from his car as if it was our first-born child. I didn't want to take any chances damaging it and having to buy it.

We left the store empty handed with a broken windshield.

Step 9: Rethink your whole design.

Repeat steps 4, 5, & 7. Avoid step 6.

So obviously, fancy shmancy redwood was out and we still didn't want to use pressure treated wood. We headed to our good ole' local Home Depot store to check out their options. Once again, we were told that while they had untreated pine, it wouldn't last long. I had heard of using cement blocks instead of wood, so we headed outside to their garden section.

We found some cement blocks that we thought would work. Our only concern was about the weight in Jason's car, but it worked out okay. We bought 14 cement blocks for roughly $30. We put our savings from buying cement instead of wood in Jason's replacement windshield fund.

Step 10: Fix yourself a margarita.

Because, after all, at this point in the process you deserve it.

Step 11: Finish preparing the area you are going to put your garden bed.

We had to remove the stumps and roots from the area.

Jason removing the stumps. He requested that I do not post shirtless pictures of him on the blog, so I designed him nice replacements shirts. While he removed the stumps, I removed the old bricks that had outlined the area.

We had to stash the dead trees behind our garage for the time being. Tree limb pickup day isn't for another three weeks.

Step 12: Cultivate the soil.

I removed all of the weeds, and Jason turned the soil.

Step 13: Build the garden bed.

Lining up the bricks.

We had to slightly modify our design to get around the 4"x4" fence post. Ghetto? Yes, but functional.

Step 14: Run in the garage to avoid the rain and admire your work.

So this is where we left it today.

Tomorrow should bring soil and seeds (weather permitting.)

Labor Day Weekend

Sorry for the lapse in posting lately. We just don't have that much to report. Labor day weekend has been pretty quiet. Friday night we went to our favorite sushi spot for dinner then had coffee/ wine at a nice Montrose cafe. After a bit of a hiatus from reading, I'm immersed in a another Haruki Murakami book, so down time has been nice this weekend.

Saturday we lazed around until the afternoon when we headed to Galveston for Brewmasters International Beer Festival. It was held at the Moody Gardens conference center. An entrance fee of $35 got you 24 1 oz. tastings of beers from around the world. I only tasted about 7 beers. I decided while I can enjoy a nice beer, I prefer wine tastings more. They did have a neat Texas Beer/ Cheese Pairing class that I enjoyed though.

Jason with his mini-tasting cup.

Sunday we headed to the mall just to get out of the house for a bit. I bought 3 new shirts, so I thought it was a fun trip. Then we stocked up on groceries and invited a few friends over to the house for dinner/ games. Jason grilled veges & chicken and we played a nice game of Scrabble. I was in the lead for most of the game, but Jason made a comeback with a final word that was like 46 points.

Today's pretty boring. No big plans, and I kinda like it that way. We could go buy the car we've been looking at, but we're not really in a rush. My car is still drivable for the time being. I figure we'll go sometime in the next few weeks. I'm not really worried about someone else buying it... it's not a very popular model. Plus, I figure I could find a dealer to order it for me if it does somehow get bought. I think I'm just not looking forward to seeing the big decrease in the checking account and the addition of a monthly car payment - even if it does mean I'll have a nice shiny toy out in the driveway.

Food Pictures

I always enjoy it when we cook at home. Jason is pretty creative, so we end up with some neat meals sometimes. Here are a few things we've cooked over the past few weeks.

Caprese Salad - This has become one of our favorites. You take a nice, red tomato and pair it with fresh mozzarella & basil (from our garden). We usually top it with fresh ground pepper, EVOO & balsamic vinegar.

Cheese tortellini with spinach, garlic, Parmesan cheese & EVOO. Paired with rosemary grilled shrimp.

Grilled fish with onions and mushroom with a side of green bean casserole. I made the green bean casserole - so easy to make and quite delicious!

Hill Country Vacation

Conversation between Jason & I last night...

Jason: Did you blog about our trip to Fredericksburg?

Me: No, why?

Jason: Because I wanted to read it.

Me: Why? You were there. You know what happened.

Jason: Yea, but I wanted to hear your opinion about it.

Me: I can just tell you my opinion about it.

Jason: No, you are much funnier in writing.

There you go folks... my own husband only finds me amusing in writing. Anyhow, I guess I'll share a few tidbits about our vacation.

Day 1

Jason and I headed up to Fredericksburg on Thursday. We stayed in a cabin just outside of town. It's actually located in a small old railroad community called Cain City. It was a fabulous little cottage perfect for 2 people. The front porch was very relaxing.

Since it was built way up on a hill, it had great views of the countryside.

And the best part of it was that we could bring Radar along. I mean, what pet wouldn't love to get away from the city and enjoy a nice quiet weekend in the country?

Apparently our dog. This picture was taken just as Radar realized he was brought to the country for a weekend. Right now he is probably trying to scratch his way back into the air condition where he will remain for the rest of our vacation.

So Thursday evening, Jason and I went to a few of the wineries along Hwy 290 between Fredericksburg and Stonewall.

They were very enjoyable. I can't say the wine was as good as our Sonoma trip earlier this year, but it was still fun.

This winery, Becker Vineyards, was hoppin. Jason and I felt a little snubbed here though, because all the high rollers were buying cases at a time. We shared a $10 tasting and bought 1 bottle. Oh well, it was still nice. After our tastings we went to Cabernet Grill for dinner. It was very good and I would recommend it.

Day 2

Friday started out by reminding us of all the joys of being an adult. We stopped for breakfast on the way to Enchanted Rock, and realized my car was leaking anti-freeze. Being the environmentalists we are, we wanted to get it checked out so we weren't leaking poison across the Hill Country. We ended up spending all morning at the auto mechanics. We didn't even really get the car fixed, only patched up for the time being. Soon I'll be posting about the joys of new car shopping.

So, since we missed the prime Enchanted Rock hiking time, we headed back to the cottage to get our bikes. The plan was to bike about 8 miles from our cabin to the Bat Cave and Alamo Springs Cafe. Blame it on the hills or the heat, I only made it half way and we went back for the car. It had nothing to do with how out of shape I am of course. ;)

This is the Bat Cave. I expected a man in tights with a cape, but got stinky stream instead. The bats are supposed to come out in the evenings, but even in mid-day we could see them fluttering around down at the end of the tunnel. Crazy little rats with wings.

So Alamo Springs Cafe was definitely a highlight of our trip. Texas Monthly named this joint as the 3rd best burger in Texas, and Jason and I can contest that it was the best burger we have ever had. A man working at the cafe made fun of me for taking pictures of the burgers. What-ev man, your burgers are picture worthy whether you like it or not. I mean, look at the behemoth.

The rest of the day we just rested and then met my parents in Kerrville for dinner.

Day 3

We finally made it to Enchanted Rock on Saturday morning.

Hiking it was not nearly as easy as I remember as a child. It only took us 20 minutes to get to the top, but there was definitely some huffing and puffing along the way on my part.

And then, this big rock started tumbling down the hill and I had to go rescue the children and the bunnies from getting smooshed. Good thing Jason had my camera to capture the heroic venture.

Naw, but my parents did want me to re-enact a picture they had of me as a kid holding this rock up.

Around lunch, we met the parent folk and Trey and Melanie in town. We did a bunch of the little shops along Main Street.

Then we headed back to the cottage to grill some dinner. We had fajitas, sausage, beans, guacamole, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

We spent a lot of time hanging out on the porch watching the wildlife.

In addition to deer in the evenings, we had roosters in the morning, and numerous hummingbirds (like an infestation if you ask me.) But, they were nice to watch.

So, that was our Hill Country adventure. It was a very nice trip and it was great to spend time with family.

Note: This picture was taken the first night before Radar fully realized that he was outside near dirt, bugs, and heat. Sad, sad story.

Discovery Green's Farmers Market, Gus Wortham Golf Course, & Miller Outdoor Theater

Yesterday was very much a Sunday Funday. We had made plans with Ferryn and Steve to go watch A Midsummer Night's Dream at Miller Outdoor Theater, so I started the day off by visiting the local farmer's market to pick up some grub for a picnic. Jason's afternoon soccer game got canceled, so he and Steve went golfing and Ferryn and I tagged along. I used the opportunity to snap some pictures of some more East End attractions.

Urban Harvest & Discovery Green

The farmer's market is put on by a local non-profit group, Urban Harvest (http://www.urbanharvest.org/). Urban Harvest's mission is to "promote healthy communities, sound nutrition and respect for the environment by educating children and adults and facilitating harvest and habitat gardens." The organization actually houses out of a building in the East End on Canal Street. They promote two farmer's markets a week - one on Saturday morning on Eastside and one Sunday afternoon at Discovery Green.

Discovery Green (http://www.discoverygreen.com/), while technically not in the East End, is on the east side of Downtown and is definitely worth checking out of you are ever in the area. It was built just over two years ago and converted parking lots into an urban green space. It was designed with "green" elements in mind and has some really neat features including dog runs, open green space, play grounds, water features, and more!

This was the farmer's market. They even had a band playing. I have a feeling that the Saturday farmer's market on Eastside has more vendors and a better turnout.

There is a lot of open space and some unique art pieces.

The kiddos were loving this water feature in the 100+ degree heat.

You can race small sail boats around this little lake.


Discovery Green has two restaurants. This is the more affordable, family friendly one...

And this is definitely the fancier one.

Gus Wortham Golf Course

Yesterday afternoon, Jason and Steve decided to go golfing so we headed to the golf course next to our 'hood. Gus Wortham Golf Course (http://www.houstontx.gov/municipalgolf/wortham.html) actually used to be the Houston Country Club. I believe it celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2008. It is now owned by the city, and even during my limited time as a Houston residence, I've heard several plans about it being restored to its original beauty. But then again, that would probably mean a hike in green fees, so I'm not sure we're that upset about its current condition. It's actually quite picturesque even as it is.

Location.

Jason's practice shot.

View of the cemetery across the bayou.

Swing!

Steve and Jason putting.

View of the bayou.

Ferryn coaching the men.

Did I use any correct golfing terms during this segment? After yesterday's game, I know the difference between a "hook" and a "splice." I also know that they threaten to take your cart away if you drive to close to the green. Yikes.

Miller Outdoor Theater

After golfing, we headed to Miller Outdoor Theater (http://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/) for a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The theater is actually located in Hermann Park, just south of the Museum District and just north of the Med Center. Lawn seats are always free and it's a great time for everyone - families, friends, couples, even pets!

Our picnic before the show.

Caprese salad (with fresh basil from our garden), guacamole, & fried chicken. We also had hummus, cantaloupe, watermelon, cherries, and wine.

View from the lawn.

Act I. Scene I.

Jason enjoying the show.

What happens when you stay out pass your bedtime on a work night.

I was only resting my eyes... I swear! ;)