This year we planted the garden on Memorial Day.  Why so late you ask?  First, it was the only day my boyfriend (Adam) and I had off together.  And second, it was the first day of the season that Mother Nature decided to give us nice weather.

Adam did a lot of research into different techniques that could be used in the garden.  He usually tills the garden by hand with only a shovel.  Last year we borrowed my Uncle’s rotary tiller.  This year we chose not to do either.  Keep reading.

We spent Memorial Day weekend pulling out all the weeds that have accumulated since last year’s garden.

Now it was time for a quick road trip.  I won a contest ($50. gift card to Home Depot) that was hosted by LA’s How2Girl, in which I was to submit my favorite DIY projects for the garden. A couple weeks later, my prize was in the mailbox.  They don’t have a location here in town, so the closest one is in Cedar Rapids. Well worth the trip.

Everything on our list was on sale.  Perennials for $2.50, vegetable starter plants for $3.33, seed packets for $1.50.  We always do a mix of starter plants and seeds for our garden.

We filled up two carts, loaded the truck, and headed home to get started.

First we positioned the plants in the garden.  Then brought in two pallets.  I had seen several ideas on Pinterest and wanted to try it myself.  I hate weeds and refuse to use chemicals in the garden, so this was one way to control them.  Refer to this article when looking for pallets to use.

Using the leftover fabric landscaping from last year, we cut enough to cover the bottom of the pallet to secure the dirt inside. Leave extra fabric along the edges to staple up the sides.

Depending on the construction of the pallet you may use less fabric to secure the sides.

Using a staple gun, Adam secured the fabric to the pallet.

We put the starter plants in first, mixing the dirt with some miracle grow.

All of our leafy vegetables are planted as seeds.

Funny story.  We recycled a dog kennel that my neighbor gifted us to keep the dogs out of the kennel.  It works!  They enjoyed watching from the other side.

I filled the pallets with dirt and then planted one with leafy vegetables and the other with herbs.

The cilantro and basil were starters.  In between we planted garlic chives and green onions (seeds).

Using a sharpie I marked what was in each row.

Next, using a Rubbermaid tub filled halfway with water, we dipped the newspaper in, enough to dampen it, and then placed it all around the plants.  Skip the sale ads, that paper is to glossy.  Instead of cutting holes in the paper it was easier to just rotate the paper around the plants.  Your goal is cover all of the exposed dirt.  Read more here about newspaper weed control.  We did three layers of paper.

After the newspaper was in place we added a layer of straw.  And last watered the entire garden. That’s it! The garden is in.

I’ll be posting part two of this post to show how everything is turning out.  Including a couple more tips to help you out.