Alex Sconziano, Reporter
@ASconzCourant
With the official start of summer coming up in a few weeks, it is a perfect time to start preparations for a summer garden. A summer garden is a great project that is both enjoyable and healthy. Building the garden is the toughest part, but when it comes time to enjoying the food you grew, it will all be worth it.
To build the frame of the garden, start with four 108in x 10.5in wooden boards for the base and six 48in x 3.5in wooden boards for the rails. Also, grab some chicken wire to protect your garden from animals. After your materials are gathered, set them up like shown in the image below, and use screws to forge the frame of the garden.
After the frame is complete, the base needs to be filled with dirt. In the example shown below, my garden is filled with four bags of a compost and soil mix purchased from any hardware store. After you have emptied the dirt into the base of the garden, use a shovel to spread out the dirt evenly inside the garden. After this use a rake to even out the soil and create a nice and flat surface.
When your soil is ready, it is time to plan out where you are going to have certain plants and where you want them to grow. Some plants, such as tomatoes, may need more room to grow than others. This is something to take into consideration. Below is an overview of my family’s garden and how we split up our plants, we keep our tomatoes on the left and our cucumbers on the right.
Once your plan is done, it is time to plant your seeds in the soil! Seeds can be purchased at any department or garden store.
Another touch that is important to add to your garden are stepping stones. Placing stepping stones will avoid you from stepping directly on the dirt and compressing the soil, which can potentially kill your plants.
After your seeds have been planted and your stepping stones are in, the waiting game begins. Make sure to water your plants on hot days and let the natural rain do the rest.
When your plants are ripe it is time to pick them to eat. When taking your vegetables or fruits from the garden into your home, make sure to wash them to eliminate any possible bacteria that may be growing on the surface. After your fruits or vegetables have been washed it is time to enjoy the fresh food right from your backyard. My family puts our tomatoes and cucumbers in our salads. These fresh fruits are like nothing you can buy in a grocery store.
A garden can be a fun project to do with your family and is a great summer activity. There is a great feeling of pride knowing that there are no artificial preservatives on the food you are eating, because you grew it yourself. A garden will strengthen your immune system and limit your risk of disease. Lately with the weather getting hotter, there is no time like the present to start your summer garden.
