We had some amazing, beautiful weather this weekend in
Colorado. It almost seems like we
skipped spring altogether and jumped right into summer. The thermometer on our back porch
registered 88° at
one point; amazing considering snow was still melting in some parts of town.
We spent a good part of our weekend outside and finally got
to build the garden boxes I keep talking about. I obtained the plans for these boxes through a friend from
school who found them on “Sunset” magazine’s website. They were really thorough but we changed a few things. Here is what we did…
Supplies for one 4’ x 8’ box:
(12) 2’ x 4’ x 8’ untreated cedar planks
(1) 4’ x 4’ x 8’ cedar post
(64) 3 ½ inch outdoor screws
Circular saw - recommended
A very powerful drill – recommended
Cut four (4) 2’ x 4’ x 8’ in half to obtain the 4 foot sides
(this should leave you with (8) 4’ planks). The other 8 planks should not have to be cut unless there is
a big discrepancy in the length of the plank. Cut the 4 x 4 x 8 post into 2’ sections.
Build bed upside down. Set a 2 x 4 x 8 on its thin edge on
pavement, and place a 2-foot post at one end. Secure post with two 3½-inch
screws. Repeat at other end of board. Repeat with other short board. Join short
sides with an 8-foot board; and secure with two screws. Add other long side.
Add additional layers of planks to each side.
These boxes are pretty easy to build as long as you have
the right tools. Mike learned from
the first one to first drill a hole where the screw was going, just to make the screw
go in a lot easier. That was the
biggest dilemma with the first box, we ruined a few screws and bits. But the second box went a lot faster and easier. Plus, we only had to make a trip to the
hardware store once that day!
Mike did the majority of the work but I helped drill a few
screws and measured all of the boards. And I ended up weeding yet again... they just will not go away!
The end product looks great and I can’t wait to grow our veggies in them. Almost all of the seeds have sprouted! Just waiting on some Anaheim peppers.
We both forgot to put sunscreen on so we both got burnt
that day. I hardly ever get burnt
but with pregnancy I guess my skin is a little more sensitive to the sun… I
thought I might have skipped that symptom… shucks! I joked that we didn't get burnt while on a tropical island for 8 days but a few hours on a SPRING day in Colorado did us in.
I was pretty out of it after all that building, sun, and
heat, so we stayed in the rest of the day and made a BBQ for dinner! Teriyaki chicken (mine with cheese!),
baked potato, and zucchini!
Yummy, gooey cheese! |
Sunday was a pretty relaxing day. We ended up doing a few chores around
the house in the morning. Then we
tried to find a few garage sales in the afternoon…which didn’t go so well. Then we went downtown to see if H&M
had any good maternity wear (which they didn’t) and walked around for
awhile. It was another hot day so
we went home and I took a short
nap. It was another BBQ for dinner. Lemon pepper tilapia,
grilled potatoes, and green beans!
Mike was also really excited to have me watch Star Trek (the new
one). I’ve been hesitant to watch
it but it wasn’t too bad.
That is about it for our weekend update. We are expecting another freeze and possible snowstorm on Wednesday so I'm hoping that the peach blossoms that just got discovered will be okay through it. I'm really, really wanting some delicious homegrown peaches this year!
That is about it for our weekend update. We are expecting another freeze and possible snowstorm on Wednesday so I'm hoping that the peach blossoms that just got discovered will be okay through it. I'm really, really wanting some delicious homegrown peaches this year!