May 30th, 2013

Do me a favor and hum "Eye of the Tiger" while you read this post.

Usually, I get amped before I play soccer. I listen to whatever cliche, over-played song is on the radio and by the time I get to the field, I'm ready to go kick some ass!

That's how I feel about my new, raised garden beds right now.

My contractor hacked some beefy lumber together and my irrigation guys will be moving my existing sprinkler system to serve the purpose of my raised beds. My landscape maintenance guys are dumping growing mix over my "cooked" chicken compost, which I painstakingly removed from the run this weekend.

I'm mapping out my veggies and I'm very excited at the prospect of incorporating an arched trellis with pumpkins, squash, hops, tomatoes and peas. 

Sometimes these weekend warrior projects feel like they took a few hours, when in fact, they have been a year in the making.

Last year, I was raising chicks for the first time. Now, I have an abundance of fresh, organic eggs and a load of well-processed compost.

At the garden store today, I stocked up on herbs to bolster my existing herb garden. Over the winter, my rosemary took a dive, so I had to replace almost off of them. Last year, my Cilantro made a fine feast for one lucky wild animal, so I replaced it, finally. I also added some Basil that I'm hoping will be okay outside. Last year, the Basil I grew from seed fared best in the kitchen window.

Once the raised beds are in, I'll put some photos up. For now, I'm keeping my Eye (of the Tiger) on the Prize...