What the ? Ida! You get things done fast! 😄

It‘s going to be great ... I love how you’re turning a small former all grass yard into this interesting I-want-to-stroll-around-to-see-more space. I think it actually looks bigger now, since your new planting areas, walkways, etc.

Small lots are challenging, you two really are an inspiration into maximizing space. It all looks so lovely. :)

(She says next weekend ... surrre! By Tuesday, it’ll be full of soil and flowers.) 😆

That looks good! I was forgetting that you have a wooded fence in the area.

What are you going to plant on the trellis?

That was fast! Can't wait to see what you plant. This time of year all that is going in around here is soybean LOL. I purchased two more periennels today for a new bed we are doing, but planting won't take place till fall and cooler temps. I am babying a few plants (potted them as you would annuals) until then.

When I saw your title I thought you meant bed to sleep in and I thought "oh no! Ida's gone off the rails!". Glad to see that wasn't the case. Your little garden will be lovely. You sure do move fast!

jmck, that was my first thought too. To go with the cinder block bookcases in my college apartment.

Thanks so much! Jinx, I really like what you said, because I DO spend a lot of time just strolling through this small space -- watering, weeding, checking progress. I sprinkled a packet of cosmos seeds in an empty portion of one of the beds, and they're starting to come up. Makes me happy.

This concrete block thing is really lowbrow, but it'll be fun. DH wants to grow sunflowers! I didn't think they'd grow here, but just learned there's a sunflower farm very near Dallas, which surprised me. They are fun flowers, aren't they! Definitely seems like a huge plot of land thing though.

Not sure what we will do with the trellis. We bought it with something in mind that didn't pan out (not trellis related really), but will now likely find a place where it can serve its intended purpose.

ETA: We have a bit of extra room, so I think we'll extend this bed by another 4 blocks (2 on each side). Oh boy. Gonna have to shift it all. 🥴

This advice is probably too late, but here it is anyway. Any trees or bushes nearby will be sending their roots into your lovely, irrigated next with all that new, rich soil to feed upon. Take the time to first put down a good, sturdy weed barrier that allows water to drain through. Use heavy duty garden nails To hold it down all the way around your bed. They look like giant, silver staples. Then put in your soil.

I know gardeners are divided on this but I've never been a weed barrier fan. Tough roots will grow through it and it constricts the delicate roots of what's currently planted. Weeds will root on top but mulch will take care of those. Eventually you will want to rip the barrier out and that is a hassle. There's nothing organic about it.

FWIW I 100% agree with bumblebeez. I've done it both ways. The weed barrier just ends up being a PITA and never actually stops weeds anyway.

Thanks to all for the suggestions! I know that there are as many "schools of thought" as there are gardeners, and it makes for an interesting (sometimes confusing!) journey. I've extended the bed to a full 8' x 4', so have a bit more space to work with. We had already sheet mulched this portion of the lawn, so don't have grass or weeds to contend with, and I've no issue with staying on top of controlling those elements. There are trees on either side of the bed, and I understand their roots may seek the soil that will placed there, but I think we'll have to take our chances.

I'm still undecided on what to plant, but need to decide soon as I only have another week or so in which to sow seed for certain vegetables that will produce in my area for Fall. And of course, I want to do this right, but am also willing to accept the risk of trial and error -- which has pretty much been my experience with everything we've done thus far!

Lettuces and other salad greens are pretty and grow quickly. What about basil?

And perhaps some annual flowers for cutting? Zinnias and cosmos are easy and bees and butterflies like them as well.

All of the above can be started from seed too.

Those little holes are screaming thyme to me.

It might be a little too hot for lettuces right now. I would wait a few weeks, maybe early September.

I plan to go seed shopping in a day or two, and have a couple of good sources locally with knowledgeable employees, which will come in handy. I'm excited to see what I can find!

I forgot where you're located? I thought it was up north.

Def. too hot for lettuce here - too hot for almost anything, actually.

I have a suggestion which will require a bit more work but you'll thank me as the years go by. Make two layers of blocks so you'll be able to sit while tending your beds. Believe me, weeds will come thanks to the birdies and wind.

You'll be surprised how much harder it will be to get up from the ground next summer, and the summer after that.... Planting while on your knees is not fun as we age. You can reach the center plants much easier too.

This gives you an idea of how easy it will be for you, and how the day will never come when you say, "Ugh, I need to plant flowers/weed the bed." :)

One more thing. Figure out how much sun the bed will get before you buy plants. I came very close to learning the hard way.

Remember when we added-on to the house and we changed the front to face a different direction, which was north? We finished in the winter and I discovered I had to grow a shade garden, no!!!! I spent two months trying to figure out what I can plant for flowers and I hated them all. But as Spring and summer crept in, the beds ended up being in full sun. A big relief!

Dallas area. I just got my hands on a document from the Texas Agrilife Extension Service that is specific to this area, and note that I can plant these seeds in August: Various bean varieties, broccoli, Brussels sprouts (my fave), cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, Swiss chard, kale, corn, cucumber, eggplant, kohlrabi, okra, parsley, blackeyed peas, peppers, Irish potato, pumpkin, summer and winter squash, turnip greens/roots, watermelon. So that'll provide a few things from which to pick and choose my seed packets! I don't want to get over-adventurous, and will likely mix in a few flowers as well.

While I can see the convenience of a higher bed, we're not going to raise ours due to irrigation setup.

You might look at the pros and cons of buying seeds versus buying plants.

Yep. I'll be picking some local horticultural brains as much as possible. :-)

Those little holes are screaming thyme to me.

They begged me for thyme, too (the creeping/cascading kind). :-) I also saw creeping phlox and/or rock cress in the corners (three corner blocks), with the thyme along the sides. <3

We could not grow Brussels sprouts because it is too warm here. They can get huge—A couple feet tall. Ours didn’t grow.

We also do a lot of seedlings, primarily because we don’t have a lot of room to start seeds. We do a mix of buying from Burpee and Gurney’s. Also used to buy at the farmers market, but we did not go this year due to the pandemic. I bought my annuals from Pike nurseries. They did home delivery.

"There are trees on either side of the bed, and I understand their roots may seek the soil that will placed there..."

Actually, you do not want to add more than an inch or two of soil over tree roots. Too much can smother the roots and cause the tree to decline and eventually die. The roots will not "seek the soil," although roots will grow toward moisture if they need it.

Easiest to plant in raised beds in August would be beans, peas, and okra. Corn would probably need to be hand pollinated in such a small space. If you can find tomato or pepper transplants they would do well, but you would need to plant them pretty soon.

Cool season plants can be started as transplants, but you would need to wait until late September/early October to set them out. Put them out after the summer temperatures have broken.

And not to be discouraging, usually it takes a few months for the raised beds to settle in before they do well. It can be done, but you can get too much organic matter and it takes a while to decompose. While it is decomposing the nitrogen will be tied up by the bacteria. When the organic matter is decomposed the bacteria will die and release the nitrogen. Most times the raised beds will do better in year 2 than in year one.

I was raised in Central Texas, worked in Mckinney for a couple of years, West Texas for about 15 years and now living in Southeast Texas last 20 years. All very different growing environments.

You might look at square foot gardening too, that can be very helpful for small spaces like this.

Wow! Ida, that is way more than I figured could be planted at this time of year! We’ve only done spring planting. You’ll find by trial and error what works for you. We rarely plant anything from seed; mostly buying bedding plants. I can’t wait to see what all you grow!!

Oakley, remember how much Ida and her husband hike? They are in great shape and the bending/squatting will actually help them stay flexible!

Thanks so much to all for the very helpful information and encouragement. We are going to be adding the soil today and I hope to get a chance to peruse seeds and plants at a couple of our nearby nurseries this weekend.

As for squatting and bending, we do stay very physically active and I'm a believer in gardening as a good strengthener to add to our routine. I intend to keep "getting down and dirty" for as long as I'm physically able. 😉

You go girl!! I'm a strong believer in "using what we've got"! I think it's when we quit doing some of these things, we "lose it". Oh I meant to ditto what Bumblebee said - check out creeping thyme - it would be gorgeous coming out of some of those holes!

I think thyme helps keep certain insects at bay too, so I will definitely be checking that out!

Oh, and apparently my lowbrow aesthetic continues as I build junk out of old bricks and excess pavers. 😁🥴

I felt the same way Ida, but we can't fight aging. The loss of flexibility is the first sign. It happens to all of us, just out of the blue. Each year it's a different ache after working on the ground. When I planted about 25 plants this spring, my hands ached for days. I wasn't expecting that. lol

There are a lot of gardening helpers for aging gardeners, and lots of articles on it too. Love your frog!

I know. I recently moved 300 pounds of concrete on my own and my hands ached for a few days after. Never have my hands hurt before, even with the regular weight training I do. I know entirely too much about musculoskeletal aging issues, as there are certain genetic abnormalities I endure. That said, I'm going to keep going until I can go no mo'! 😁

And thanks ... that frog is named Thurber. I'm still a 6 year old at heart. 🤭

And Ida said, "Let their be soil, and lo, there was soil."

And this little guy also found his way onto our cart.

I agree w/ the Square Foot Gardening suggestion. Will allow you to fit lots o stuff in w/ crowding. https://squarefootgardening.org/

I like your attitude Ida! The more we keep moving the more flexible we are! Sometimes we pay for it with aches and pains, but for me, the good outweighs the bad. I honestly believe staying active, moving, gardening, bending, squatting, etc. all those things - help keep us young! (or as least feeling that way LOL)

We put in a row of sunflowers, mostly because the very idea of them turned my ordinarily quiet, stoic DH into a giddy little boy. This morning, we have a baby sunflower just poking its little head up. Actually, we have two, but the other hasn't quite pushed her little face to the sun yet. What fun!

I can't grow anything from seed, except sunflowers. They are easy going and riotous fun!

This evening, we have 9 baby sunflowers, two tiny little shoots of corn stalks, and a teensy squash plant. This is ridiculously fun to watch take shape!

I also planted a few pepper plants and herbs in some of the block holes. Looking forward to getting my creeping thyme seed for the rest of the holes; hopefully it'll be here this week.

Oh jeez, babies being born.

I'll try to refrain from updating this daily, but we have lots of little seedlings this morning! 🌱🌱🌱

Seedlings are the best, aren't they? I have to admit to being a fairweather spring gardener. I love my garden as things are just popping up thru the virgin soil and can sit there staring at it all day. At this time of year when my garden is a jungle-y mess, I breeze on by pretending I don't notice all the weeds calling for my attn.

ETA: Keep posting. Enjoying this with you.

I was going to ask how your seedlings were doing today! Very nice. It’s so much fun to watch them grow. Especially satisfying to harvest and eat what you grow. We have two pineapples ready to harvest today! I’m thinking pina colada for dessert 🍍

Oh, yum... fresh pineapple! I think I may have to go to the market and get myself one, now that the thought is in my head! 🍍❤

Hi Ida! Love the cinder block bed! You should check out the Winter Sowing forum. Super easy and no need to buy plants.

@IdaClaire Well if you do, twist the top off, let it dry on the countertop for a day or so and then plant it in your raised bed or a pot. 18-24 months (sometimes less) later you will harvest one you grew! The waiting is the hardest part. Oh, boy, now Tom Petty is in my ear.

Edited to add pictures I just took. This one is definitely ready to harvest today. I can smell it!

And this one needs another day or 2, but I’m tempting raccoon theft if I leave it. I just noticed a little anole on a leaf. See him/her?

I can NOT get the image of Ida lounging on a mattress, supported by cinder blocks, out of my head. Every time I scroll past this thread. Say hello to my pandemic brain.

Ida, you sure get things done in a hurry. Can you start working on a Covid vaccine this afternoon? School starts soon . . .

Thank you, Renovator Girl! I will definitely check out that forum.

Tannatonk, that is gorgeous and amazing! I'll bet it will taste divine, and now I wanna grow one! I do see your little anole! Cute! Have seen a good number in our yard this year, including one that is the exact color of the Vitex leaves, with a brilliant pink throat.

Sue, that's entirely my fault! I could've sworn I typed "garden bed" in my subject line, but obviously not!

Today is the 5th day since planting and so far so good!

Jen, I hate to be an enabler, but looking at your latest picture, I can’t help thinking how the cinder block would look if you glued (construction adhesive?)Talavera tiles or other colorful tiles to the outside.

Ooooh, what a fun idea! I like it!