Hello everyone,

Well, now there’s dirt inside the raised block beds. I used a combination of amended soil from RCP Block and Brick (I returned extra blocks and got a 1/2 yard of soil for $11. I got another 1/2 yard from KRC Rock as their soil was closer to me and less expensive; about $17 for the 1/2 yard. Then I went to the Miramar Landfill and got a yard of compost for $5. So my expenditure for soil was about $33. I hope it will grow things!

I mixed the soils and compost together as well as possible and soon there’ll be a photo to show you how it looks….pretty nice I think. I love the look of rich soil… must be something about growing up in the San Joaquin Valley. I set up sprinklers to keep it moist while it settles a bit. I’m gone for about 11 days, so that should be plenty of time for it to settle.

When I get back I’m getting to work on my Fall garden. That’s it for now. Happy worm trails to you! -Bob

Hi everyone,

I’m home from Switzerland, where EVERYONE seems to have a garden, even in the Alps! It was inspiring. So….I’m back in our Mediterrean, dry climate ready to continue building our garden. On Saturday and Sunday, I got block from RCP to make the borders for my raised bed. I’m having some second thoughts about the block border. Aesthetically, it’s great, but I wonder if I should have just made 4′ X 8′X 2′ raised planter boxes for easier access??? I guess aesthetics trumped the practical…at least for now. But the blocks are loose and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll modify. I guess the term “organic garden” has multiple meanings! I got a great video for beginning gardeners from a fellow Lee O’Hara, who has backyard gardens in LA for a LONG time. The video was short, sweet and offered me lots of good advice. Let me know if you’d like more info about it.

Next up it’s getting, dirt and compost to fill the beds. I hope to have that done by Friday. Then I’m off to Fiji for growth of the spiritual kind. When i get back, I’ll do the watering system and get to planting!

There will be a meeting of the Board of Directors on July 8th from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the home of Mel Lions. Please contact me for directions if needed.

Doug

Download the July 8, 2008 Meeting Agenda.

Hi folks,

Well, some progress has been made! While my mind is on our upcoming trip to Switzerland, I did make a little progress on the garden plot. I staked out the raised bed areas and moved the sprinkler stubs to places where they’ll be inside the raised beds I plan to build in late July. I’ll be using both wood and loose stone-like blocks. Then I’ll use the stubs to set up my drip system for each area. Still working on how to put pictures in this blog. Maybe today’s the day! Til next time… in late July… happy worm trails to you!  Bob 

Hi folks,

This is Bob Greenamyer with San Diego Roots. This is my first post about my efforts to create a home organic vegetable and fruit garden. I’m also the coordinator of the ONE Garden at a Time for San Diego Roots. This is unique in that I’m probably the least experienced gardener in the group. I DO garden, but my technique heretofore has been what I like to call, “Benign Neglect Gardening” or BNG. BNG is done by throwing out seeds and watching what comes up and then seeing if it will survive. If it does, it’s a keeper. If not, it’s compost!

But now…now I’m serious. Our little container garden will get an addition… a raised bed garden on the other side of our house. You might ask, “Why is an amateur newbie type gardener taking on this project both at home and for San Diego Roots?” I asked myself the same question! After some thought (not a lot) I decided I would be a very good poster child for the ONE Garden at a Time Project. Basically, if I can create a garden, anyone can! I also like to dig in the dirt! I’m also surrounded by expert gardeners who I know will be invaluable to me and my home garden project.

I’ll be posting my progress periodically through photos and videos once I  figure that out how to do that. I hope you’ll do the same. Share your garden exploits… successes… less than successes… questions… answers… wisdom… less than wisdom. We can learn from all of it. Here’s my first picture to share. This will be my garden space once I get home from vacation. I took out and composted old plants, got mulch and spread it all over. Next up… making the raised bed wall. I look forward to hearing from you.  Bob