I'm going to be an organic farmer!

Our thumbs are getting greener and our radishes and lettuce are outgrowing our garbage can planters so Jeff and I need a new system. We've been wanting to do raised garden beds in the backyard for several reasons. 1) We have the space and great direct sunlight in the backyard, 2) the soil in Long Beach is typically pretty crappy (clay and oily), 3) our salads and stir-frys are becoming more advanced and we need more options and 4) I'm totally OCD and like to have my plants neatly spaced and in rows with markers clearly labeling what goes where. Jeff is more of the "sprinkle whatever seeds are left in all of Liv's packets wherever there is soil" type of gardener.

So when I got an email blast from Daily Candy this morning about a cool design company called Scout Regalia that just developed a raised garden box system, I checked it out. It's a really neat system, because they provide the metal corner and side brackets and you provide the lumber from salvaged wood or reclaimed material and you put it together, really decreasing the cost of the unit and of shipping (although they're located in Echo Park so we could just go and pick it up). Their motto is to "minimize waste and maximize (food) production". Pretty neat. Another cool feature is that the system comes with garden tags and a white wax pencil, but the tags were punched out of the brakets for the box, again minimizing waste. Mandy and Seth just went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore Discount Home Improvement Center here in Santa Ana, and I'm sure they'll have reclaimed lumber we can use for this project. My mom is coming to visit us on Friday and she'll be staying until Wednesday night so I'll have her put it together for us.

Next up, chickens. I'm totally serious.