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Friday, May 14, 2010

Spring Planting

I'm am so ready for plants.  Not that they are ready for me.  I am no green thumb.  I usually water my plants for the first month and then after that....egh.  But I'm bound and determined to change that this summer.

I've got new pots.  Very lovely Terra-cotta plastic ones that I picked up at the Milaca Unclaimed Freight.  A store that you could spend hours in.  But that's another post.
I even bought a trellis.  Now I have to find something to "trell"on it.

I stopped in at Noble Landscape and Garden Center in Blaine the weekend before Mother's Day.  They have the best plants, the best quality for the price you pay for them.  I went just to look around to get in the spirit of flowers and I meandered into the herbs, fruits and vegetables. 

Hmmm....I got me thinking.  I'm going to try to grow some strawberries, watermelon, basil, oregano, mint, rosemary and chives.  We'll see how it goes. 

I told my mom of the plans and she gave me 8 strawberry plants out of her garden.  They just so happen to be original plants from my grandma's garden.  I remember spending Saturday mornings in the field picking them right along with the carrots, lettuce, string beans, and beets.  Then we'd take them inside and we would have to pick the green leaves off the tops of the strawberries and shell the beans.  Never liked it much because at the time I hated strawberries and beans, but now what I would give to be back in the kitchen with grandma doing something that was her most loved hobby....gardening.

Now that I have my plants selected (in my mind), I stopped by Menards on Monday to see if I could find a deck hanger for a window box.  Not much luck.  I found them but they only adjust to 6 inches and my patio wall in 7 1/2 inches.  But I got an idea.  I stood back and looked at the garden center display, light bulb went off and I marched right over to the lumber desk.  I ordered 2- 8x8 cinder blocks and 2- green treated 2x4x6's.  Paid for them and now the fun part.  I got to drive into the lumber yard.  Yikes!

I had to find everything by myself in my little Lumina.  I found the cinder blocks right away but the lumber was another story.  I drove into the protected "shed" and was in line with a parade of heavy duty 4x4, 8x8, 16x16, 136x136 trucks.  Trucks with 4 wheels, 6 wheels, 16 wheels.  And trailers the size of Texas.  By now you should know that I'm being sarcastic.  And here is poor little me....a girl in a lumber shed.  Guys were slinging wood posts, hoisting pieces of wood that were over 20 feet in length over their shoulder and carrying them to their trailer.  I had to watch out for my head.  I waited for everyone to leave and it took me 45 minutes to find 2 stinkin' pieces of 2x4's.  I walked up and down the aisle but everything was over 10 feet long and I just wanted 6.   I saw the saw and didn't know if I was supposed to cut my own length. 

And then there it was.  I did everything except look UP.  There was a second level, a loft shall we say.  All the short ones were up there.  But where's the stairs.  I had only walked passed it a dozen times not realizing it would lead me to where I needed to be.  Picked out 2 of the prettiest pieces, placed them on the inside on my car diagonally and off I was to make a garden table for my strawberries and herbs and vegetables.

Boy, am I a girl or what.   I'm super proud to say that I got to do some manly stuff.  I drove where very few women has driven before.  How adult of me.  It feels good. 

Next thing to do is buy dirt and get the fingernails dirty.  Possibly photos to come in future.