Stalled

Two weeks ago, I finished building the next SFG box to add to my garden but my motivation has stalled. I have to level the ground underneith it, finish the water lines, add the hardware cloth and fill with Mel's. For some reason I can't seem to finish setting it up. I am thinking it has to do with the memory of body ache from setting up my other boxes. My body hurt for a week!

How do you motivate yourself to get started? (Besides a kick in the ) I really need to get this finished and off my todo list. Any help!

I have trouble with procrastination, too. Between that, bad weather, back problems, etc. it was definitely an issue. What got me through the many hours of setting up my beds was the fact I'd already spent $60 on heirloom seed and I'd be darned if I'd let that go to waste!

If that doesn't work for you....

• Promise yourself a professional massage or other treat once everything is done and planted.
  
• Get help! Enlist some local friends, then celebrate together when it is done.
  
• Tell us, and then we will nag you... and nag you.... Are you done yet?

Good luck... I was so happy when my seeds came up!

Keep your eyes on the prize - whatever that is for you: fresh tomatoes or corn or self sufficiency. But, you have gotten this far, you will kick yourself if you don't finish.

And on the practical side, I am getting less and less sore as I do more. And a trick I learned - take 4 (800 mg) ibuprofen BEFORE you start. And dig out the vocadin if you need it to get to sleep and kill pain at the same time. I have gotten it for tooth pain and for surgery and I always keep it for just this type of thing. What is that tree with aspirin in the bark? Apparently THAT is what I should be growing...

Chopper wrote: What is that tree with aspirin in the bark? Apparently THAT is what I should be growing...

That's white willow....

Shoda, I know how the aches can keep you from doing - I have some of the same issues. I'll build my next box this weekend, if you'll finish putting yours together.....

Well if you don't finish it you can't post a picture of it to the forum and show it off to the rest of us.
Are you motivated now?

After getting beat up driving my fuel truck in the oilpatch all the time the gardening is like therapy. Even setting up the boxes and preparing the mix is relaxing. I just go slow, sip some sweet tea, and enjoy the feel and smell of the mix as I put it all together and in the beds. The powertools and a manly Tim Taylor style grunt at the kids makes it fun too. hehe.

One thing I found that helped drive me to finish my third bed was plucking the already grown vegetables from my first two beds and my landscaping boxes.

I'd pull mint out for tea, pluck radishes (even those not quite ready) and even ate the stalks of the cabbage plants that bolted in the first two boxes.

By doing this, I was encouraged to keep going on the third box, which I'd saved for summer planting and all of the plants I REALLY love to eat. I knew I had to keep going so I could keep growing and eating!

Motivation wasn't an issue then--at that point it was all about patience and not pulling too many immature radishes!

I KNEW you folks would help!

Chopper - I will try the ibuprofen before I start. Great suggestion!

Judge Kemp - Before I start, I think I will have some home grown mint tea sitting on the bench in the corner of the garden, looking at all I have done so far -- maybe have a radish or two!

SirTravers - I think I can manage a manly grunt or two. Might be fun!

Wyldflower -Thanks, I will work on mine and you work on yours.

Megan -- Massage? Ah... yes, that sounds wonderful! In fact I will call tomorrow and schedule one for Tuesday. If I don't finish, I have to cancel it on Monday. (How is that for a kick in the pants)

Tim - Posting the picture when I am finished will be great. Now you have to oooo and ahhhh!

All of you -- Thanks for the support and I expect you to nag me if I don't make some significant progress on finishing this box! I have melons and winter squash to plant in it!

My theory is who says it has to be done all in one day...keep it fun! Do what you can when you can or when you want. I am a big fan of breaking tasks down into pieces and if I can get one piece accomplished-great, if i can get several pieces done - awesome and if I could only ponder then that's ok too . Don't wait til it's finished to post photos...let us see what is going on. On my personal gallery here on the website I put photos of my garden and my family helping me from weed patch to planted box...but it makes me feel good to see all the steps ... enjoying the journey I guess. Hang in there and let us hear from you!

I traded gardening time with a friend. She needed help building her boxes, so we spent a day together building. The next week she returned the favor and came to my house to help (motivate) me to finish some of my tedious chores. It worked so well, we will be trading time throughout the gardening season. It's always a lot of fun having someone work with you in your garden that has the same passions.

Well I made progress this weekend. The box is almost ready to start filling which means I got most of the yucky stuff done. I have a few PVC hoop supports left to install and then I am going to slowy start filling it.

I will keep you posted! Thanks for the push.

Hi Shoda, I'm glad you made progress this weekend. I've been trying to get my 4x4 installed for what feels like forever. We finally got it built, hardware and landscape cloth attached and there it sits on the driveway!

We are pulling/digging out the area where we will put it. That spot is so full of spring garlic. You may have read on another post about that!. Anyhow, I intend to have the box "installed" by the end of tomorrow -- that's the plans anyhow.

You and I can compare notes tomorrow night!

I always take a couple of ibuprofin before I work and after if I need. At night one benedril for the side effects - SLEEP. Otherwise I dream all night about putting in the garden and am too tired when I wake!

I'll be sending good vibes your way.

Claire

I was fortunate that I found a neighbor who would come over and help. The hardware cloth ended up being a two person job for the size boxes I had. Once I called her I knew I couldn't cancel. Also, DH wanted the boxes off the driveway so he could park his car LOL! But I had a hard time staying motivated too.

Shoda wrote:How do you motivate yourself to get started? (Besides a kick in the ) I really need to get this finished and off my todo list. Any help!

I'm with CarolinTexas, break down the tasks, If you get tired of doing one thing move onto another or take a break. I have to keep reminding myself that gardening is a process, not an event. I also sometimes say to myself, "I can do anything for 2 hours". :arrow: The Ibuprofen has been helping.
Hang in there!

This week has been crazy and I haven't gotten back to it. (My twin's turned 11 on Tuesday, I had to work extra at the office, I have four dogs with colds, etc...) And now it is raining!

The forcast is clear for the weekend so I will take it slow and get it finished. I just have to remind myself how to eat an elephant..... one bite at a time!

Eat the elephant, or swallow the frog!

I'm chiming in on the "little bit at a time" bandwagon.

Megan - love that swallow the frog!

Is that all?
I have half the garden yet to build from scratch.
Moved in 18 months ago, place was just one large patio. Last autumn broke out (with friends) part of that and turned it into borders for planting.
That's now growing nicely (well, most of it, the beds of perennial seeds I've sown aren't doing too well, but I guess that's to be expected with the terribly late spring we've had, with frost in may even).
There's still 20 square meters to clear and plant though, just finding it hard to get myself to it. May in fact hire a professional to do it for me, at least up to the planting.
Saves me a lot of backbreaking work...

Baby steps. That's what I keep telling myself. Baby steps.

That's all ok as long as it isn't two baby steps forward and three big steps backwards .

I'm off to take another baby step.

Claire

I was all ready to tear up sod and put in my new irrigation system today, but now hubby wants me to wait until he gets home. Impatient dancing!

I spent the day slowly working on the SFG bed. After my coffee this morning, I finished the hardware and hoop supports. I stopped for an early lunch. I made a Spinach salad with home grown spinach, home grown radishes, a few home grown strawberries, chicken, pecans and balsamic vinaigrette. It was so yummy and I felt so healthy.

After lunch, I slowly started to fill the box. It is a pretty big box --- 4' x 8' x 12" deep. Slow and steady wins the race. I did one wheel barrel full of mix, then sat down for a while to admire my work and sip water. Then another wheel barrel, then another short break.

I was kept company by my kids, dogs, a few scrub jays, a deer, some ducks that came by and hawk. None of them offered to help mix.

I got my hubby to grill dinner and kept at it a bit longer. I am very satisified to say that tomorrow after I connect the soaker hoses and add 1-2 more batches of mix it will be finished.

Not bad considering I woke up with a back ache and a headache. I took 3 Advil before I started and I swear I could here you folks cheering me on!

By tomorrow night, I should have the winter squash and melons planted. I will be sure to post pictures!

Not bad considering I woke up with a back ache and a headache. I took 3
Advil before I started and I swear I could here you folks cheering me
on!

I am so excited for you !!! I know the feeling, slow and steady wins the race.

I made a Spinach salad with home grown spinach, home grown radishes, a
few home grown strawberries, chicken, pecans and balsamic vinaigrette.
It was so yummy and I felt so healthy.

And your salad !! oh that sounded so good. I will be thinking of all these as my harvest gets here

Here's to you and all you accomplished !!
Ha-v-v

I am not sure when I figured it out, but at one point I realized that I could do almost anything I wanted, I just might need to pace myself.

I am doing this alone and am somewhat woodcraft challenged. I was so frustrated at one point making one of these simple 4X4 boxes that I simply dropped everything where it lay on the patio and did not approach it again for several days. I have almost no money coming in either. And with all of that, bit by bit and in small chunks I have managed to build 5 boxes, start a compost pile and get enough MM (or as close to it as possible) for all of it. I still have plans for at least 4 more boxes and I know it will happen in good time. It is worth it.

Of course if I had a bunch of kids running around who insisted on eating daily all bets would be off.

Chopper wrote:I am not sure when I figured it out, but at one point I realized that I could do almost anything I wanted, I just might need to pace myself.

I am doing this alone and am somewhat woodcraft challenged. I was so frustrated at one point making one of these simple 4X4 boxes that I simply dropped everything where it lay on the patio and did not approach it again for several days. I have almost no money coming in either. And with all of that, bit by bit and in small chunks I have managed to build 5 boxes, start a compost pile and get enough MM (or as close to it as possible) for all of it. I still have plans for at least 4 more boxes and I know it will happen in good time. It is worth it.

Of course if I had a bunch of kids running around who insisted on eating daily all bets would be off.

+1 Hang in there Chopper, you are not alone.

Chopper - I certainly know the feeling. That is great that you have worked through it and got them put up! Bravo!

I finished the box yesterday and got it filled. When I was sitting down looking at my hard work, my 11 year old daughter trotted up and had a big smile on her face. She was JAZZED that the box was done and was chatting about what to plant. Then she looked at it funny and said... "Mom... something's wrong with the box. It's not done yet, it needs its squares."

So we ran around and found some bamboo and some green garden stacks and put together a grid. "Now it is done! Great job MOM!"

So here is the picture!