Taking the Necessary Steps in Becoming a DIY Home Gardener

Image 9 Comments June 5, 2017 Sammy and Sufi

To accomplish anything in life, you have to start somewhere. While the commitment to dive right in is necessary, knowing where to begin is arguably the most important part. Whether it’s deciding to tackle your own home renovation or even a simple endeavor such as gardening at home, you have to learn some basics if you want to taste success. Starting a vegetable garden at home is simple; all budding horticulturists need is a decent amount of space and the right materials to start laying the foundations. Before setting up your garden, here are a few things you should know.

It’s vital to give plants the sunniest spot as possible in your yard. If you live in a place with unpredictable weather then investing in a greenhouse, regardless of the size, may be beneficial. As a benchmark, experts recommend using smaller framed models that feature clip-in glazing systems, as this type of greenhouse can fit in almost any corner of the garden. The wonderful thing about greenhouses is that you’re no longer limited by the weather but instead can grow all year long. If a greenhouse proves to be too tedious, do-it-yourself gardeners can get inspiration from home bloggers on how to build a raised garden bed from scratch. Raised garden beds may not offer protection from bad weather but they do keep away some pests, including weeds.

Once you have chosen the location and the material foundation of your garden, you can begin the fun process of planting. Not sure what to grow? The experts over at Thompson and Morgan have a list of the easiest vegetables to grow in your backyard. Of course planting is the easiest part. In order to ensure that you have a successful harvest, you will need to maintain your garden through watering and weeding. By not regularly cleaning your garden, you run the risk of entanglement or, worse, a gradual takeover of your plants. In terms of what to use when trying to get rid of weeds altogether, it’s better to approach this in a non-chemical sort of way by pulling out the roots using a shovel or trowel. On the other hand, if there are persistent wild plants with spreading wiry or deep roots, then there are some natural-based herbicides that can do the trick.

It’s also best to cut the grass around the garden as this will keep your garden looking aesthetically appealing. Tending to long grass and dense flower borders, also reduces any viable areas where pests, such as slugs and snails, can hide and destroy your plants. This upkeep can be easily accomplished using your average lawnmower. By perusing through the extensive list of lawnmowers on Screwfix it’s evident how manufacturers have started to produce lightweight models ideal for the modern day gardener. These cordless mowers are ideal for getting into tight spaces and are easy to maneuver unlike the heavy duty mowers of the past. There are also plenty of eco-friendly electric options for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint.

If you want to eliminate that kind of maintenance all together, you can opt to put a pathway made of pavers or woodchips in between your garden beds as suggested by Toby Buckland, a well-known English gardener, TV presenter, and author. For more gardening advice, including ideas about what to plant, check out his beginner’s guide in The Telegraph. The more you know, the easier it will be to dig right in. Happy Gardening!

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Build your Own Garden Fence

Image 6 Comments May 24, 2016 Sammy and Sufi

If you read our previous blog post on how to build a raised garden bed on a budget, then you might be wondering how we have kept our harvest safe from unwanted visitors. Initially we went with a cheap fence made of galvanized poultry netting but after many missing tomatoes and half-bitten squash we decided that the next year we would spend a bit more to have a quality fence. We wanted a roomy enclosed space with easy access for us to plant but sturdy and tall enough to keep the demon bunnies out. I soon sketched out a blueprint for my imagined firewall and got to work making it a reality. I will warn you that it is a bit on the pricier side but it’s a sound fence that’s practical and aesthetically pleasing. Shall we get to work?

Our sorry excuse of a fence

Supplies for an 12ft x 8ft garden fence
8 2.5 x 2.5 x 8ft ($27.79)
24 2 x 4 x 8ft ($80.88)
1 1/2 x 4ft x 25ft Hardware Cloth ($38.98)
1 box Wood Screws ($6.26)
1 Fence Door Hardware ($15.98)

Tools
Staple Gun
Post Hole Digger
Miter Saw or Hand Saw
Power Drill

Directions

Design a template for your fence because this saves you on both time and money. The desired size of the enclosure will dictate how much wood you will need and in turn how much you will spend. I can’t stress enough how important the planning phase is for any successful project.
Cut the 2.5 x 2.5 x 8ft timber to 7 ft. 5ft of the timber is for the fence sections since the hardware cloth is only 4ft tall and the remaining 2ft is going into the holes you will dig to secure the fence.
Using the post digger, dig seven holes (3 on each side and an extra one for the door) about 2 ft deep. I did not use cement to secure the timber posts because I find it unnecessary but feel free to use cement if you like!
Once you have dug your post holes, insert the timber poles leaving 5ft above the ground. Make sure the poles are level by laying a 2×4 or a longer piece of wood across the posts while placing a level on top of it.
The next step is to assemble the sides of the fence by using the 24 pieces of 2x4in x 8ft pieces to make rectangular frames:
- Cut a total of four 2 x 4 x 8ft to a height of 5 ft (current they are 8 ft). These will be the vertical sides of your frame. The hardware cloth is 4 ft and that is your height unless you want the hardware cloth to be shorter.
- Cut a total of four 2 x 4 x 8ft to your desired width. I cut mine to 6 ft because I needed the width of the fence horizontally to be 12ft.
- Now that you have four 4ft and four 6ft pieces lay them out according to the design in Figure 1. You must follow that design if you want to keep the fence sturdily joined together. This also keeps the ends from bending.
- Lay the hardware cloth flat on top of your bottom piece of your boards (see Figure 2 ) and fasten using your staple gun.
- Proceed by laying the top pieces of your board over the hardware cloth/bottom frame and join the boards together using wood screws (see Figure 3).
- Flip the completed fence frame gently and screw the other side as well (see Figure 4).
Repeat Step 5 until you have enough sections to enclose your garden. I needed to repeat the step six times. If you are unsure about your calculations try attaching your fence side to the post first and proceed by building then attaching rather than building all the sides and attaching them at the end.
Now you can attach the completed fence sides to your 5ft timbers posts using a drill and wood screws.
Create a basic door using the leftover 2 x 4 x 8ft by cutting them until you have two 2ft and four 5ft pieces. Align the four 5ft pieces on the ground vertically and make sure the space between them is even. Place the two 2ft pieces one closer to the top and one closer to the the bottom, using wood screws to secure them. Last but not least cut a piece of hardware cloth to the size of your door and install it on the backside of the door. I used basic fence door hardware for the hinges and lock. Installation manual is included in the packing and is very straightforward.
For an overall cleaner look, use mulch, wood chips or small stones between the garden bed(s) and fence.
Enjoy the fruits of your hard labor without bunny or deer bite marks.
Figure 1 – Bottom, Top & Hardware Cloth

Figure 2 (Spacing for visualization)

Figure 3 (w/o spacing)

Figure 4 (w/o spacing)

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Build Your Own Raised Garden Bed

Image 7 Comments May 13, 2016 Sammy and Sufi

Spring is finally in the air here in Michigan and we are getting closer and closer to planting season, one of our favorite times of the year. Gardening for us is just so fun and fulfilling because it connects us to the beauty of nurturing and growth. If this is the year you decided to try your hand at gardening then starting with a raised bed might be the way to go. A custom raised vegetable/fruit/herb garden is not only easy to make but it takes a lot of the hassle out of gardening in terms of weeding and messes. It also makes for a beautiful backyard feature and less back-bending and back-breaking work.

You can go about this project a couple different ways but the instructions I have provided in this post are for store-bought wood from your local Home Depot or Lowe’s. For our garden beds, we upcyled wood panels that we had stored in our garage from our early basement renovation and we personally recommend this route if you have unused wood just lying around. There is something extra rewarding about repurposing items and reducing waste and what better time to do that than during the environmentally conscience activity of gardening. Of course you can always buy a raised garden bed but where’s the fun in that? Not to mention, a store-bought garden bed can run anywhere from $100-$250 depending on the size and material. If you buy the wood yourself, you can have a similar garden bed for half the price and if you go the upcycling route it will cost you nearly nothing.

Costco – $107.50 / one

Home Depot – $99.19 / one

Lowe’s – $118.00 / one

Now that we have you convinced (hopefully) to build your own garden bed, here’s what you’ll need:

Supplies for an 8ft x 8ft garden bed
8 2in x 6in x 8ft ($60)
2 2in x 2in x 8ft ($7.50)
1 Weed Blocker ($9.97)
1 box Wood Screws ($6.58)
Patience ($0.00)
Green Thumb (Priceless)

Note: I did not include the amount and price of soil in the supply list because that will really depend on the size of your bed. If you are unsure, this soil calculator is super helpful!

Tools
Staple Gun
Post Hole Digger
Miter Saw or Hand Saw
Power Drill

Directions

Design the layout of your raised garden bed based on the shape and dimensions you want. Our wood panels were 6 ft long so our garden bed ended up being 6ft x 6ft.
If you chose a rectangular design and want to make cuts to the 2x6x8’s (or any other wood you are using), now would be the time to do so using a miter or hand saw. If you want a square 8ft x 8ft layout then just leave them as is. These pieces will be the side panels of your garden bed.
Cut your 2x2x8s so that you end up with a total of six 2ft pieces (you’ll have some wood leftover). These will be the legs of your garden bed. You may notice that the garden legs are longer than the side panels and that is intended. The extra foot of leg is for planting the garden bed firmly in the ground.
Next, you will attach the side panels of your garden bed to the legs.The first thing you want to do is lay out two 2x6x8 pieces horizontally and parallel to each other so that there are no gaps between them. At equal intervals, starting precisely from the corner, attach the garden bed legs (2x2x2) to the sides using your drill. You will need 6 screws to do this: 1 in each of the two panels for each of the three legs.
Repeat step 4 using two more 2x6x8s and the remaining 3 legs.
Now you can complete the garden bed by connecting the remaining panels perpendicular to the side panels with the legs to form your square or rectangle. Make sure that the legs are on the inside of the garden bed. Once you have put together all the boards, your garden bed should look like the final image in the 3D model below.
Use the post hole digger and dig 6 holes for your legs, making sure you measure the distances accurately between the legs so you won’t have to struggle putting them into the ground.
Now you can go ahead and place the garden bed legs into their corresponding holes.
This is an optional step but one we found helped drastically reduce the weeds. Lay the weed blocker down at the bottom of the garden bed and use a staple gun to fasten it to the sides of the bed. Do the same thing across all sides of the garden bed making sure to cover the entire surface area.
Fill your garden bed with the soil mixture of your choice and you are all set to plant whatever your heart desires 🙂