Saturday. My favorite day of the week.
Yesterday I finally went and picked up what I needed to make my raised bed garden. I had looked at the kits at Home Depot and for a small square kit the cost was $48.99. I have been staring at this kit for months. It was nothing more than wood that locked together. Yesterday I decided I would build my own. I went back to Home Depot and purchased 4 8 foot long treated boards for $3.96 each. I bought clamps to nail the comers together (45 cents each)… my weed control sheets – and my plants.
I set it all up in the yard and while listening on audio to a little Oversees by Beatriz Williams I put together the frame in about 45 minutes.
Then…. I called Al and said “bring in the dirt”. Some days it really pays to be married to an Excavator who also has a black dirt lot two properties down from our own home. 😉
I added some organic feed to the dirt and the guys helped spread it in the frame. (FYI: the guy tot he right is my son Brad.)
The cucumber frame, a gift from my friend Gail was the inspiration I needed to have a garden this year. The frame is set up so the cucumber vines will grow upward into the frame. Kind of excited to see that happen. I planted lettuce n the center of the frame, and in the other space along the back side I have tomatoes, and bell peppers, string beans, a few strawberry plants and a basil plant.
Today I am thinking about setting up a second frame for squash.
So I can also add this post to Weekend Cooking. Here is the recipe for my favorite fresh garden salsa. Every time I make this people rave.
Fresh Garden Salsa
firm tomatoes – 4 to 6
an onion
cilantro
jalapeno (optional)
3 tablespoons sugar
salt and pepper
Chop the tomatoes to desired texture of your salsa. I prefer it with chunky bits of vegetables. Chop onion, and finely chop cilantro (s much as you like) and add to a bowl with tomato. Chop in little bits of jalapeno if you wish. Season with sugar, salt and pepper. The sugar has been my secret addition, it seems to cut the sharpness a bit and adds a lot of flavor. Serve with good chips. Also delicious as a hamburger topper or on a grilled chicken breast.
You can see more about Saturday Snapshot here.
You can find great recipes for Weekend Cooking here.
Book Journey 
what a lovely big backyard you have! ours is big (technically) but so wooded that just I have a little lawn in the back and then a lot of trees. -beth
HAHAHAHAHAHA you don’t need a recipe to link up to Weekend Cooking.
Annnnnnnndddddd: Wow on the instant garden. Love it — the frame, the trellis, the rich earth, and your helpers. Yeah, go ahead and get a second one set up. 🙂
Great pick for an audiobook too.
I love your industriousness! My husband did a similar thing for our garden and it was immensely rewarding for him. May your garden grow!
Nice work! Wish we could have a garden too (too many trees on our property, not enough sun).
Wow. It took twenty years of gardens to get my soil good. You must thank your husband.
I hope you enjoy your garden. My grandma inspired me to start a little backyard garden many, many years ago. Over the years, I’ve tried lots of different plants. Now I stick to putting in tomatoes and peppers and string beans in late February and more tomatoes and broccoli and carrots in September.
You make DIY look possible! Great job, and thanks for sharing.
That is awesome. Fantastic job!!
Looks great! Your soil looks fabulous. My garden is a little uninspired this year. Nothing seems to be doing much of anything except the cucumbers which are being very energetic. I think it senses my own lack of motivation! I love making salsa out of my own garden. It’s so fun!
Beautiful garden. I hope you’ll share more pictures as it grows this summer. This year I planted two tomato plants in our front yard among the flowers. That area faces west and gets lots of sun. So far they’re doing great. Nothing compares to home-grown vegetables.
Wow, homegrown tomatoes! Unlike many highly hyped foods, these deserve their reputation.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I love the cucumber frame! I wonder if it could be used for peas and sweet peas, as well. I’m going to try that salsa. I’ve never made my own. Thanks!
There’s nothing better than fresh veggies from the garden. I wish we could have one but our back yard doesn’t get much sunlight. Somehow, I don’t think our neighbors would appreciate a garden in our front yard.
It looks great!
Enjoy your new vegetable garden, Sheila! It looks wonderful. I just made some salsa the other day. My recipe is quite similar to yours (no sugar though). 🙂
I really should be doing this! Good luck! Have a great week. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Wow – I am blown away by your ambition and frugalness! Good for you! I also like the simplicity of your salsa recipe. I’m going to save it for when the home-grown tomatoes are ready – probably another 2 to 3 weeks.
We did a garden this year, too. I have seen these boxed ideas around, but I was working and the guy and his brother made it and planted it… Working out so far, though!
I am impressed! I wish for a garden. No such luck in Delhi…:(
Taking part in SAturday Snapshot after very long…
Here is my post
Your Garden looks amazing! I’ve never had a green thumb- I occasionally water the plants my mom has in her garden- but I’d never manage looking after such a large garden.
Enjoy your weekend- and thanks for the recipe!
I love your garden frame! We use raised beds gardens too but it’s so dog-gone hot here now that nothing will grow, thanks for sharing the photos.
What handsome helpers you had. And it looks awesome. Enjoy!
Oh man!!! Just this morning I peeled the four tomatoes I had sitting on my counter to throw into my tomato sauce. I would have rather made some salsa, though. Sadly we have too many rabbits and rats(!) that like to eat our tomatoes, so I usually only have a few at a time but next time I’ll need to try your salsa.
Great looking garden!!
I plan on having a raised garden when I move to town. The dirt where I live now is more sand than dirt.
I’m going to try that salsa, it sounds so good!
How wonderful!! I have always wanted a vegetable garden but we have LOTS of animals here and back up to the woods, so we would need extensive, tall fencing that went at least a foot under the ground…so, yeah, too much trouble 🙂 But I do enjoy the fresh veggies from our local CSA every year!
Nice work!
Sue
2016 Big Book Summer Challenge
This is going to be so much fun. I am envious of all the space in your garden.