Kids Workshop at Home Depot

Did you know that Home Depot sponsors a kids workshop the first Saturday of every month? I didn't know it either! =) I learned this information from a helpful sales member while shopping there. She said it was for kids ages 2-12 starting at 9am and lasting until supplies last...and it was FREE! (I don't know if this is something offered at every Home Depot location or if the age range is the same at every location, but it's definitely worth asking your local store if they do the workshops.)

The kids, since it was their first time attending, got an orange apron with their names on it. They looked so cute it them! The project this month was making planter boxes. They had tables set up with wood glue and little hammers. They each got a little packet that contained the materials and instructions and we started building the planter right away. The boys LOVED using real tools and even got to paint their newly built planter boxes. After completing the project, they each received a certificate and a pin to put on their aprons. It was such a fun little workshop and we will definitely be going back again!I wish I had brought my camera, but thankfully Chris had his phone with him, so we got a few pictures.

After we left the workshop, we let the boys purchase a plant to put in their planter boxes and they both wanted strawberry plants. We bought them, but realized after we got home that strawberries would probably thrive a little better with more space to grow.

So, a few days later, I took them to a local garden center and let them pick out some flowers. They chose these orange marigolds. Once it gets warmer, they will brighten up our porch!

*This is just my personal opinion and experience with the Home Depot Workshop...I was not asked to review or write about it by anyone. I just wanted to share our experience and this information!*

Trying a Square Foot Garden...

This summer, I am trying something I have never done before...gardening.

When I was a kid, my parents kept a huge garden for a couple years. At the time, I didn't know how much work went into it and how much to appreciate all the fresh vegetables that grew. Looking back, I wish I would have taken more notes on how to plant and grow a nice garden! My parents did a phenomenal job!

At our new house, we don't have the space to plant a large in-ground garden. So, I am trying something called Square Foot Gardening. If you haven't heard of it, you can find more info from this website or this book by Mel Bartholomew.

So, the goal is to grow vegetables in self-built planter boxes (we chose to go with the standard 4x4) that don't take up a lot of space. We are doing two boxes this year (hoping to do more next year if this year goes well) as well as some separate tomato plants and a little herb garden.

To say I am super excited is an understatement! With the price of produce so high in the stores (not to mention the questions about how the produce is grown and treated now-a-days) I am very excited to grow our own produce! I bought heirloom seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It was hard narrowing down what we wanted to try this year...it can get really easy to get carried away with all the yummy looking veggies! So, I tried to stick with the basics...since this will be a learning experience for me.

Chris has been a big help. He helped me plan the planter boxes and built them for me.

It didn't cost much to do this. Just the cost of lumber and the weed cloth you tack on to the bottom of the wooden frames.

Thankfully, Chris had all the tools needed for this little project on hand.

Here is the completed box! See how easy that is!

Rinse, repeat and you have two!

I was a little late in getting my seed order in, so my starter plants

(tomatoes and peppers) may go out a little later then they should. However, I am excited about their progress as the little seedlings sprout through the soil!

So, the next order of business is getting the soil mixture in the boxes (a mixture of different composts, peat moss and vermiculite.) Once the weather clears up, I plan to get that mixture in the boxes and start planning out my seed map and planting seeds!

Fresh veggies, here we come!