Taking It Outside

February, spring-- potato, po-tah-to.

Early blooms on our plum tree

When we last saw the sprouts, they were getting dangerously close to outgrowing their containers. Fortunately, I was able to find them an area with a bit more space.

The back yard, in its natural state.

Unfortunately, said space is next to a house that was built in 1905, which happens to be about 73 years before people realized that putting lead in all your exterior paint might be in some way a bad idea. We had the soil tested and, while it isn't hugely contaminated, we're mostly growing leafy greens at this point, which are the most likely to pick up lead and pass it on, so we invested in a raised bed kit.

Not pictured: 10 bags of soil, roll of chicken wire, weed cloth.

I am not what is traditionally considered "handy" (as Cameron pointed out when I decided, after watching an evening's worth of HGTV, that I wanted a nail gun, "You regularly almost kill yourself drinking tea." Which I had to admit is a compelling argument). So the good news was that the instructions here were 'dig holes in the ground, put the posts in the holes, put the boards in the slots in the posts.' The bad news was that the strata of our yard seem to be as follows:
1. Weeds.
2. Dirt*. (*may contain lead)
3. Various things, including but not limited to chunks of concrete, broken pottery, glass

I'm just hoping our house isn't on an ancient Indian construction site.


At any rate, I did finish it eventually.

Overdramatic lens flare optional, but recommended.

The plants on either side are blueberry bushes, because fruiting plants have very little lead danger and I like blueberries.

It took longer than I expected to get everything in, and by the end I was being eaten by mosquitoes (Yes, in February. No, I don't understand either.), so this picture was taken at a later date. But I think you get the general idea.

Someday we will eat these.

Up next: Beans and lemons! Not a serving suggestion.