Building a Garden in Clay

Monday, May 29, 2006

Our friends in Georgia now have a new vegetable garden, thanks to our efforts over the long weekend. OK, well it's not quite a vegetable garden yet, but it's a pretty fine looking 12' x 6' box of dirt, waiting to become a vegetable garden.

I forgot to bring the camera for before and after pictures, but let me see if I can paint the picture for you. During the hottest part of a HOT Georgia day, we built a raised garden bed from scratch. We began with the process of tearing out a section of grass in the back yard. Then we got down to business, grabbed our shovels and, with all our might... took a gigantic swing... and... Tink! Tink! Tink! The shovels just about swung back at us.

So we learned that:

1. They ain't kidding about Georgia Clay. It's not a myth.

2. Don't ever use your favorite pickaxe while attempting to break up Georgia Clay. It will get bent.

3. We'll never complain about our own soil ever again.

4. Don't build a garden bed in the middle of a Georgia summer day, unless you have vast quantities of water and sweet tea. Fruit smoothies also help. Oh, and you'll need a lot of aspirin afterwards, too. And finally...

5. How does anything grow in Georgia anyway?

Seriously though, it was really hard work but we had a fantastic time. This was a surprise gift to Michael's friend's girlfriend, and she looked ecstatic at the chance to start a garden in a brand new bed of thick, dark, clayless, fluffy soil. We now await word on what she decides to plant.

Giving the gift of a garden... It was totally worth it.