Getting the Garden Ready

Next Tuesday we are borrowing a rototiller from a friend. We may not actually get around to using it until the weekend, but we are busily preparing our garden for when the time comes.

Yesterday we went to the local nursery and picked up a couple of soil testing kits. Before we dig up the ground, we will test the soil for its pH level, and then get whatever is needed to improve it (limestone, perhaps? . . . I'm still learning, here).

Today we went to the city's recycling station to pick up some free compost material. My daughter, Josephine, and I filled up two bins. She had her very own shovel, and afterwards commented, "Mamma, I feel so grown up! I can shovel compost, too!" Here are some photos that a kind gentleman took for us:

Afterwards, we went to IKEA to pick up a couple other things for our garden. First of all, we got two small greenhouses in which we can start our seeds. We may be able to begin that this weekend. Each of the greenhouses is about 20 inches wide, 10 inches deep, and 10 inches tall. Here is what the greenhouse looks like:

At IKEA we also bought a bin that we will use for worm composting. I've been reading up on this, and it seems fairly easy, and extremely fun. We just need to drill holes in the bin, for aeration, and then add shredded newspaper, soil, food scraps, and, most importantly, worms! I'll TRY to hold off buying the worms, as we may come across plenty when we rototill the garden next weekend. If we don't, the local nursery sells a carton of worms for around $10. As I was cooking dinner tongiht, I saved carrot peelings and onion skins. I've started a "worm food" container in the fridge. Here is what the bin looks like:

So that's what we've done for today. We plan to spend quite a bit of time working on the garden tomorrow. We need to rake up rocks, test the soil, build the greenhouse, prepare the worm bin, and plant seeds. It really feels like it's all coming together. What fun!