Decking Out the Back Yard

I'M SO EXCITED FOR SUMMER!!!! We've been working hard to get the backyard into a super fun, comfy lounge zone for what, I've heard, is predicted to be an extra-dry sunny summer in Seattle. Whoo hoo!

We've got all the furniture outside - mostly from IKEA and Cost Plus World market - the flowers planted, the garden in and the twinkly lights strung around the porch. Next major project is getting a new pool heater installed so we can start SWIMMING. Hooray!

Serious summer hang out zone

Cafe lights adding just the right amount of je ne sais quoi

Must get cushions

Putting in a Garden Over the Weekend

"Why yes! These veggies are from my garden!" She said three months from now.

This weekend while the guys went camping, I was home with the sick baby and used her long napping sessions to get in my first ever vegetable garden in the backyard! I'm pretty dang excited about it and I really hope it doesn't die. It was sunny for once and felt great to be outside getting dirty, making something. 

In mid-April we planted seeds in starter pods and kept them indoors for 2 weeks while they grew like insane gangbusters. 

Planting seeds on April 17

And those seeds just 10 days later

I didn't expect the starts to grow so quickly, so I decided I better get them planted in the garden ASAP. I'd been keeping an eye on the backyard to see where a good sunny spot would be for the raised beds, and decided the flat grassy spot by the pool was perfect - sunny, flat and easily accessible. 

So in between naps, baby and I rushed out to Home Depot and loaded up on supplies. I bought a raised bed kit made out of cedar and 25 cubic feet of dirt to fill it up - which is A LOT of dirt.

9 giant bags to be exact

The raised bed kit went together easily enough, but I can't recommend it. Two of the posts broke as I was sliding in the boards - one I just turned and used a different slot, but the other break happened after the whole thing was assembled so I had to "patch" it together with deck screws and wood scraps.

Getting dirty!

The bed kit assembled, easy to put together but not very sturdy

I lined the boxes with weed blocker fabric and then dumped in the dirt after schlepping them from the minivan - so exhausting oh my god! The kit made one deeper bed and one shallower, which worked out perfect for what I was planting - veggies that grew down (beets, carrots) I put in the deep side, while shallower veggies I put in the other side (peas, herbs). I dumped and raked in 8 of the 9 bags and that was enough for Friday - shower and cocktail time.

Ready to plant!

On Saturday, the next thing I did before planting was to weave a pea trellis for the snow pea vines to grow up. I'd never done this before (because I'm neither a weaver or a farmer), but it wasn't hard at all. I just googled some pics and then made up my own version using 4 plastic-coated garden stakes, 3 zip ties, 6 eye screws and a roll of garden twine. I felt very homestead-ish after I finished this, like maybe I should be weaving pea trellises for a living? Nah.

I used a rubber mallet to hammer in three stakes, and then zip tied the fourth stake across the top. I screwed 6 metal eye screws into the wood and used them to tie off the string. Easy PEAsy. Har.

Close up of eye screws

Please upgrade us!!!

It was time to plant! I put 3 of the 6 starters in the soil and decided to "harden off" the other 3 starter pods. But I forgot about them outside overnight following cocktail hour but they were just fine, so I went ahead and planted them, too, on Sunday. I also added a trellis to one side for the cucumbers to grow on.

Sunday baby and I visited 2 local nurseries and picked up some tomato plants, lettuces, and the cucumber trellis. We planted those along with zucchini, squash and herbs. Then I labeled everything and just as I was finishing Sunday it started to pour rain - perfect!

We should have our $250 salad in July or August

PROJECT REFLECTIONS
Total cost: ~$250
     $100 for raised bed kit, $90 for 9 bags of organic soil, the rest toward plants, seeds, trellises, starter pod kit, weed blocker fabric
Easiest part: Putting the bed kit together, even though it broke a couple times
Hardest part: Carrying all that heavy dirt and dumping it in
What I'd do differently next time: Build my own beds from lumber
What I learned: That I'm super awesome at weaving pea trellises!

DIY plant hanger from 2 pieces of rope

 Just a cool plant hanging out...

This spider plant I started from a clipping is finally big enough that it really needed to hang so the leaves wouldn't get smooshed. So I cut two lengths of rough sisal rope, folded them in half to make 4 strands, wound some leftover trim around the 4 cut ends and cinched it tightly to form the bottom. Then I tied a knot near the top to make a hanging loop and voila! an easy, rustic chic plant hanger more than sturdy enough to hold a heavy concrete planter. Once the planter is inside, the weight of it keeps the ropes taut and the plant stationary. 

To hang it up, I drilled a hole in the ceiling and used a toggle bolt, a headless screw and a decorative hook threaded onto one end to provide a secure place to hang the whole thing. I had a length of trim left still and I strung it for a bit more visual interest. I love how this turned out and I'll definitely make more.

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PROJECT REFLECTIONS

Total cost: Free! Everything I used I already had in the house.

Easiest part: Working with only 2 pieces of rope.

Hardest part: Drilling the hole big enough in the ceiling for the toggle bolt to fit up into, but even that wasn't hard, just dusty.

What I'd do differently next time: Maybe try differently colored ropes or wrap the ropes in embroidery thread for more color.

What I learned: I always forget to use horizontal space, so it was a good reminder to look up!

A Super Simple Succulent Terrarium

 

I love the look of succulents indoors, but since I've moved to Alaska I haven't had as many of these hardy plants as I did in California. They do well with little water and lots of sun, but as I learned recently - they do not do well near freezing cold windows...which is like every window in winter in Alaska. So I purchased some faux succulents because they will never die, and unlike gaudy silk flowers, with these it's hard to tell that they're not real. 

Terrariums make easy little centerpieces for a table, unique hostess or birthday gifts and add welcome spots of greenery during the dreary winter. Which is why I wanted to make a couple for my home on this icy, foggy, 5-degree frozen day.

STEP 1: Gather your materials - I used, colorful rocks, a couple varieties of succulent (you can use living and faux), moss and glass containers. Also, tiny animals or pieces of wood or shells would be great, too.

STEP 2: Layer in the fillers. Start with rocks on the bottom, then wood or moss... You can also use sand. (Note: if using real succulents, place potting soil on top of rocks and then place the plants in. Last, fill moss around planted succulents.)

STEP 3: Tuck your succulent stems into the moss. I needed to trim the longer stems on a couple of these, but for the tall apothecary jar (below), the long stems were great for anchoring the plant down into the moss and rocks. 

STEP 4: Add the finishing touches. For the shallow bowl, I just added some contrasting white rocks to the top. This is where little pieces of driftwood or tiny bird sculptures, etc would look adorable. If you like that kind of thing.

That's it! So easy to make a tiny florascape in a bowl.

 

My son got 4 goldfish today, so I grouped the fish with the terrariums on the center of the table for a little surf and turf centerpiece. In case you are wondering the fishes' names, they're called Annie, Quincey, Leo and June after his all-time favorite show, The Little Einsteins.