Our Major Family Accomplishment - Garden Boxes

We have always wanted to have a garden but didn't think it was possible because our backyard is so small. BUT a few months ago we decided to get ambitious and build our own planter boxes. After months of work and countless hours, our garden is looking awesome.

Here is how the process went:

1) We did some research on the best wood and decided on redwood. It is more expensive but much more resistant to bugs, mold, and decay. We wanted our boxes to last a long time so we spent the extra money. Kylee helped supervise our visit to Lowe's:

2) We rented a sod cutter and ripped out a large section of grass. Here is the BEFORE picture (it was still winter so there were some dead patches of lawn):

3) That sod cutter vibrated so much that I thought it was going to shake my teeth out. I tried to reinforce my teeth with plenty of Oreos. Eventually we got all the grass cut out and leveled the yard. I also had to cap some sprinklers.

4) Then it was time for assembly. This involved many nights after work using my headlamp for light because it was already dark outside. I was getting excited with how they were turning out.

5) Next was the dirt. We had a dump truck load of dirt on our driveway. Despite how many wheelbarrows full of dirt I took to the back yard, it seemed like that huge pile never went down.

6) Once we had the boxes filled with dirt, we wheeled back loads of rock to surround the garden boxes. It was most definitely a family affair. Jackson loaded wheelbarrows, I took them to the back yard, Mel and Kylee leveled them, and Dani helped clean up messes we made:

We couldn't have been more happy with our finished product!

7) We made our own markers for the vegetable rows:

8) After all our hard work, a few days ago we enjoyed our very first strawberry from the garden (sliced up so we could each have a taste):

It has been a fun family project. We have been babying these boxes. We are now the proud parents of some healthy, growing vegetables! And we lived happily ever after.