Just starting Perry County Ohio

Hi I'm Staci Bourff. I live in Crooksville Ohio, and just started transforming my backyard into a SFG for my family of five. I have 3 boys ages 14, 11, and 8.

We reused wood froma doghouse, and privacy fence the people before use left here to make most of the boxes, and cement blocks that my mother didn't want anymore.

My husband had a bright idea of using a flatbed trap to cover the ground where I wanted my boxes that way I didn't have to take up all the grass for all the boxes, and we wouldn't have to mow around them either.

As of two days ago I have seven different peppers plants planted, chives from my middle son's teacher, strawberries, onions, garlic, carrots, beets three different types of lettuce, kale, and spinach in two 2x5 ft beds made from the cement blocks, and still have 6 boxes of 124 squares to decide what to plant in them.

I've tried to upload pics of the transformation, and have had no luck getting them to load, and even read post on how to load pics and still have had no sucuss.

Staci! look forward to the pictures when you finally figure it out... I cant help because it gets me everytime.

Welcome Staci! Your garden sounds great! Is this the post you read on posting photos: https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t129-how-to-post-a-picture-located-on-your-computer? I found that if I didn't follow it exactly, I got no results. Also, sometimes it takes a little bit for the link you need to copy and paste to show up, and somebody said that if your resolution is set really high the photos just won't load so making the photo into a smaller file was the fix for that.

Now I see what I was doing thanks for the link!

Now see if this blonde can get it to work.

neighbor! Good to see another Ohioan.
I'm in Amanda actually the border of northern amanda/canal winchester. Very Friendly warning, peppers like warm weather same as tomatoes!!

My Backyard before starting SFG. I so hate the neighbors shed that is falling apart in my yard. Got to love in town living. The cement block beds I made from the blocks my mom gave me.





Dog House and Fence we made into boxes.



Large Rose of Sharon bush that gets pulled out, and in the back left corner the remains of other bushes that'll be made into compost or mulch.



The clay the boys found after we pulled up the Rose of Sharon bush, and the reason my husband didn't want to do the tradtional row garden.



My first bed planted with Kale,Carrots, 3 kinds of Lettuce, Spinach, Onions, Garlic, and Beets.



Boxes made out of the fence. We got a total of five boxes out of one eight foot piece of privacy fence. Two 6ft x 4ft boxes, one 6ft x 3ft box, one 6ft x 3ft box, and a 3ft x 2ft box that I'm thinking of stacking on another box for potatoes.



Flatbed trap and all my boxes including a 2ft x 20ft box up against the fence line made out of the salvagable wood from the dog house, and a few scraps from the fence.



pepper plants( 7 different types) a strawberry plant, chives from son's teacher, and onions just planted this week and had to cover once already, and hoping I didn't screw up by not covering last night...fingers crossed.

llama momma wrote: neighbor! Good to see another Ohioan.
I'm in Amanda actually the border of northern amanda/canal winchester. Very Friendly warning, peppers like warm weather same as tomatoes!!

Yeah I know they are, but they was getting a little to big to keep in my kitchen window in a roasting pan, so I've been covering them any time there is a chance of frost. Hope they survive with me covering them, because I really want some peppers.

Wow, you did a great job recycling/re-purposing everything into your garden. Way to go!

givvmistamps wrote:Way to go!Some Morning Glory and Moonflower would take that over in no time flat. Of course, it might help the wall boards to come off faster, too, so be careful over there. That thing looks dangerous!

It might be fodder for a few more boxes....

I have morning glories growing all through my yard, and up the fence line, but for some reason they won't touch that build. Must be to ugly for them too. LOL

I see a piece of one board hanging down like it'll drop off in the next breeze... that wouldn't be so funny if someone was nearby when it falls. There has to be some sort of vine to mask it, at least in the warm seasons, so you don't have to look at it. If the vine grows the right way, wrapping around the uprights, it could help hold the building together. Or spray paint! Have a family painting day and decorate the wall with lovely scenes & stuff. The way he's (not) taking care of the thing, he can't complain if you do that.

great pics!

love how you recycled things from your yard to make your garden box's!!

looks like you have a great helper there too

we are in the PNW area....we too are trying to time things just right...... to put the hot loveing plants outside......hope your peppers stay warm enough!

hugs

rose

Trellis on your property just in front of the shed. Plant scarlet runner beans under the trellis. Then you have pretty and edible at the same time. I can see a 1 or 2xshed size box or take a chance on local dirt this year if more MM is not in the immediate future. Looks like you are already try to hide it with the boxes you have nearby.

Kay

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Everything's looking great!

I do have one question about the tarp . . . is it UNDER the beds too? I'm asking because of possible drainage problems.

It's great to see your whole family getting involved.

Are you able to find your Mel's Mix ingredients in your area?

Staci - I suppose you could call the Health Dept. They would condemn the building and make them demolish it. Just a thought.
I just wish I had a yard like yours! And all that wonderful recyclable material! That tarp is great. Where'd you get it? So lucky.
I'm waiting for a plot in a community garden, I live in an apartment so no chance of a yard.
Lee

givvmistamps wrote: I see a piece of one board hanging down like it'll drop off in the next breeze... that wouldn't be so funny if someone was nearby when it falls. There has to be some sort of vine to mask it, at least in the warm seasons, so you don't have to look at it. If the vine grows the right way, wrapping around the uprights, it could help hold the building together. Or spray paint! Have a family painting day and decorate the wall with lovely scenes & stuff. The way he's (not) taking care of the thing, he can't complain if you do that.

Yeah that board has been hanging there for four years now, and withstood a windstrom in the winter that took down a wisteria vine and the archway it was on. I like the painting ideal, I think my kids would get a kick out of that.

If you are whimsical you could paint gigantic veggies under a big yellow sun for inspiration!

sfg4uKim wrote: Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Everything's looking great!

I do have one question about the tarp . . . is it UNDER the beds too? I'm asking because of possible drainage problems.

It's great to see your whole family getting involved.

Are you able to find your Mel's Mix ingredients in your area?

Yeah the trap is under the boxes, but it has holes where most of the boxes are placed, and the boxes that don't haves holes I plan on making a few so it will drain.

Only thing I'm finding problems finding is compost that not just cow manure. My sister has goats and horses so I can get all the manure I need when I need it for compost. I started a compost pile and hoping it'll be ready when I get to filling the other boxes, because school is back in session and it takes all I have not to say screw the school work , and go play in the garden. But I want to keep my high GPA up.

SwampCatNana wrote:Staci - I suppose you could call the Health Dept. They would condemn the building and make them demolish it. Just a thought.
I just wish I had a yard like yours! And all that wonderful recyclable material! That tarp is great. Where'd you get it? So lucky.
I'm waiting for a plot in a community garden, I live in an apartment so no chance of a yard.
Lee

The building is pretty stable just an eye sore, but then again my 70's green house might be an eye sore to some lol.

The trap is a flatbed trap, my husband use to own his own truck, and his dad wanted it when he didn't use it anymore, and he hadn't used it in over 4 years, so I went and stole it back. It wieghts a good 100 lbs if not more, so my back was feeling it after loading up to bring it home, and then me and the kids unrolled it wrong so we had to dance around the yard,( they was singing ring around the rosey as we was fixing) because on the other side that facing the ground it has nylon straps and metal hooks to attach to the flatbed trailer with bungee cords.

Hope you get your plot, apartments around here have garden beds that in front of them, and they also have small patios in front and back. Granted most of the bed people plant with flowers. Guess an advantage to living in a rural area even around apartments there is alot of green space.

llama momma wrote:If you are whimsical you could paint gigantic veggies under a big yellow sun for inspiration!

That would look cool, but I think the boys will have a few suggestion on how to paint it.