DIY Backyard Vegetable Garden with #ANDnotOR

Thank you To RISE’S AND  not OR For MY DIY Backyard Vegetable Garden Post. As always all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own

Could it actually be happening? Warm gardening weather in Chicago this weekend? Snow last weekend then a long week of cold temps and rain, I mean, I know I am not alone in saying that Mother Nature has definetely put a damper on my new garden plans. BUT, looks like sun and 50-60 degree weather this weekend and I am going to tackle my DIY Backyard Garden. I hope.

DIY Backyard Vegetable Garden with #ANDnotOR

Meet my the gorgeous corner in my backyard. Granted this is after a long harsh winter and before Spring clean up. But, you see that empty patch there? It has been my goal for years to create a diy backyard vegetable garden here and I finally feel up for it.

Last year, I revived my lawn using the #ANDnotOR approach and was extremely happy with the results.

Using RISE’s (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) AND not OR approach is a resource/guide to help answer questions or concerns the weekend gardener or the avid landscaper might have. Basically, “debugging the myths” about pest control to fertilization. Some times, to get that garden to flourish or your trees to survive it is about an integrated solution using the AND Approach:

1. Find
2. Solve
3. Prevent

Basically, I don’t have to choose between certain products or not, but, create a plan to solve and prevent the issues I face in my own yard. So, I re-visited their website for some of their video tips and my daughter and I are tackling our first ever veggie garden. So, what’s the plan.

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The Vegetable Garden Plan:

That patch of dirt actually is not empty. Every year gorgeous large hostas grow here. The issue is is that they are too BIG and TOO MANY. In the last 10 years they have become luscious and over power the space that we cannot walk through. So, I plan on dividing and transferring the hostas first and then building a garden bed. STEPS:

Transfer the Hostas (First and foremost, don’t forget bug spray)

1. The best time to transfer is in the Spring with the new visible shoots. And luckily, mine have sprouted this past week.
2. New Home For Them: I need to dig a wider / deeper hole in their new spot.
3. Then, I will add some organic enrichments to refill the dirt, using the AND approach I will need to add fertilizer and rabbit repellent.

DIY Vegetable Garden Bed

1. With the space now clear I can build: What I need
   • Bug Spray
   • Unfinished / Natural Cedar 48in
   • Garden Bed Liner
   • Hardware cloth
   • Topsoil & Compost
   • Fertilizer
2. After a little research: a few veggies/herb will be good for my midwest garden
   • Tomatoes
   • Radishes
   • Cucumbers
   • Basil
   • Dill
   • Thyme
3. Lay It Out: Tallest at the back to not block the sun and organized with enough space for them to grow. At least a foot between each herb and vegetable

I will come back next week to share my step by step process on how it went and exactly what I did to install my first DIY backyard vegetable garden or you can always follow along on instagram stories.