Our Secret Garden...Day 2

Time for the next phase of our container garden. Today, we are going off some inspiration I got at our local science center who sponsored a "Big Backyard" (geared to kids, but hey - it's terms I can relate too!)
My initial thought was my container was only 6 inches deep. Was that enough? I tried to look up depths on the net, but didn't come up with many answers. But at the science center yesterday- they literally had the same thing on display! And they were only 6 inches. Well, except the tomatoes or root veggies, which they had planted in 12 inches of soil.
One of the Miracle-Gro lady's suggestions was to get some good garden soil. Which I was already planning on doing. So I stopped and picked up some Miracle-Gro Organic Soil. My container took about 3 cubic feet worth of soil. Cost $8 a bag x2.
Once the soil was in, we chopped it up and loosened it with hand shovels and "THE CLAW" (I love that thing)

Once we got that all churned up, I let the kids free with the acrylic paints. I mean, it's pointless if it's not beautiful! From here- I am going to let the soil air out and turn it every few days or so. Mostly because I think we have a frost coming this week and want to let my seedlings get a little stronger before moving them into the garden.

Total cost to date $19. A some fun times! Next step, to plan the seating chart for the veggies....

Our Secret Garden

Let me start by saying my thumbs are far from green. But my desire to do something fun and healthy with my kids has brought me here. I hope that I will find a release in gardening, like many do. Who knows. For many years we have attempted to grow various veggies - tomatoes (or as Rese calls them - snack trees), mostly herbs. We have horrible soil- heavy in clay (only known because the Miracle-Gro lady told me so) so it wasn't good for growing much, not to mention our yard is heavily shaded and unless you cut out a garden square in the middle, we would never have a real garden.
So why not cut out a garden in the middle of the yard. Well, for one I have 4 kids. At one point I had a dog. Not really the best idea. So I did a little looking and discovered I could do container gardening. Hmm, that has potential. Then as quickly as the idea came...it went.
It wasn't until we were cleaning out the basement for a yard sale and I saw that old table there.
A table. A simple table. Built by my husband, simply two 2x8's for the top and
4x4's for the legs. But in that moment, I saw a garden.
So we took the table out back. Took off the legs. We had lots of scrap wood just laying under our playground from when it was built 5 years ago, so we pulled out some 2x6's and built up a small wall. (mostly pieced together) Then for the kicker...wheels...I recalled seeing a set of wheels from a Rubbermaid cart still in the packaging somewhere in the basement at some point in my life...What are the chances I would find them again, now, when I need them? YES, first place I looked. So we flipped the old table over, drilled some holes and inserted the wheels. Now I have a container garden that I can leave in the middle of my patio, and if it needs to be moved then we can push it out of the way. Brilliant! (if I do say so myself)
Here's the outcome, housing our seedlings (also grown in containers until after the threat of frost, after all this IS Ohio!)

Next step, apply some paint. I think I heard that from somewhere. Check. Ohh, I forgot I bought that tomato cage a few years back- that will work perfectly ran along the back. (because - you know - tomatoes grow up). I had my husband drill holes to run the tomato cage into so it would stand upright. Also, he drilled some holes along the bottom for drainage.
Here is what we what we have at the end of the day...

Not too shabby a first day. Total cost to date about $3 in seeds.
Dimensions are roughly 4ft x 1.5ft x 6in.