Dumb, Dumb, Beds

So, I had surgery last week and the beginning of this week. I’m not supposed to lift more than twenty pounds for several weeks. But it is the day before Mother’s day and that means 100° heat is almost here. Today was in the 80’s with showers, and I finally felt good enough to go outside. The pneumonia I have is getting knocked out by the antibiotics. Still. I probably should not have done all of this.

However, better to work at my limits now, rather than once our oppressive heat sets in.

I bought four beds off of temu last fall. Over the winter I put two together and set them outside. I left them alone because I was busy planting the vegetable beds.

Today was my first day that I’ve been out of bed, after four leg vein closures and pneumonia. So. I did something dumb. Because I can.

I decided to fill and plant the metal beds. I don’t think I’m going to leave these plants here permanently because one is a blackberry and two are raspberries. I’ll have to think about it. All are from a Florida nursery called Just Fruits and Exotics.

Fantastic nursery. Big, super healthy plants. But, I’m always looking after they’ve sold out of their smaller plants. I don’t want to pay shipping on 3-5 gallon pots.

Florida and Texas are not really an even swap, but they’re closer to each other’s conditions than Texas is to most other states.

Since we have a 107°F day coming on Wednesday I did my usual: go crazy in the yard, trying to get as much done as possible, while it’s nice out.

I started with a pond liner. This liner was something I was going to use somewhere else but it turned out to be too small. I ran it at the bottom of the bed. Why? Because this area is dry as a bone. There is a water greedy live oak on this side of the back yard. I didn’t feel like making a wicking bed (it’s a lot more work and I have two unfinished ones from last year). So: I just ran the liner at the bottom. It will slow, but not hold, water. The other bed I just lined with bags from the soil I added to the first bed.

Amazon has started a lot of my beds. Don’t recycle or trash all the boxes that come with your online purchases! I put a layer of boxes around the yard every spring. Our environment down here is super good at breaking down and using everything. If I didn’t continually add to it: our decomposers would take it down to the thick, gummy clay soil that is native here.

After lining both beds with plastic and cardboard: I stuffed the beds with banana waste. One of the great things about having a mature yard is the excess material you get from pruning and shearing or raking up leaves.

I tried to stomp it all down. My mom sent me rain boots (because I’m always in flip flops). The reason being: she and I killed a rattlesnake in my yard a couple of years ago. I bought some rubber boot liners so I’m not stuck with clay in the treads of the boots. She found silver galoshes! I’m dorky, disco girl in the mud!

Although, no snakes today… I did have to enlist some teenage boy power. I’m not sure what I’m going to do when both my kids go to college. I’m getting too old for some of the stuff I do. I may have to have a yearly plan that involves hiring people to move really heavy stuff.

Anyway, I’m definitely getting to the age where I’d rather be a picker than a planter.

My kids helped me with the new boxes and moving the big bags of dirt to the beds. I then cut the bags open and spread the dirt.

I had about six bags from last year. They were wet and stinky. I am letting that bed dry out before I plant it. If you end up with some anaerobic decomposition: opening up whatever it is in, and spreading it out, will kill the anaerobic bacteria and fungus. It happens just by exposing it to oxygen. Then it’s fine to use. I always wait until the soil stops stinking, before I plant anything in it. So the second bed is sitting there draining and reacting to it’s new oxygen access. I’ll wait a bit and then put my plants in it.

I still have two more metal beds to put together. I have some vines and some fruits in pots that are destined for those beds. Now that I have room for the plants and a way to keep the beds hydrated… soon: I will finally be ready to stop installing fruit and move on to flowers and herbs.

Meet you out in the garden to create the picking, after all of the food forest planting!

Crazy Green Thumbs