The beginning

To prepare myself for gardening in a landscape one could hardly say is conducive to doing so, I took several classes from the Phoenix Permaculture Guild. Last year. Yes, it's taken us a year to even get started. Well, technically three, since that's how long we've lived in our home. But that's ok, progress takes time, and a plan.

My lovely teacher for the bulk of my classes recommended a form of gardening (lasagna) that I thought would simply not fit with the aesthetic of what I wanted my completed yard to look like. To be blunt, it's ugly. You just pile dirt and compost on top of your yard and wait for it to settle back into the soil. Yuck. I wanted something clean and pretty and modern.

As I write this, I can hear the whine of a drill and the buzz of a saw going in the background. My lovely husband is building us some gorgeous raised beds, right this very moment! Some argue that raised beds are a bad idea for gardening in Phoenix, since the sides of the bed, and therefore the soil and roots of your veggies, are exposed to more heat. I say poo to that. I've talked with lots of people who say it works just fine, so I'm going for it. I'll just grow things that like the heat when summer rolls around. Some plants love it when it's 115, right?

Now for some progress pictures. We bought the wood last night (thanks for the use of your truck, cousin Gary!!) and Michael cut up the pieces into the necessary lengths. Doesn't he look all manly and handsome with that saw in the dreamy light? (Sigh and smile.)