Introducing: Our Garden

I have been so excited to share our new raised bed gardens with you all! We closed on our new home at the beginning of May and in no time at all, we started our first big project, a raised bed garden! After years of watching videos, reading books & articles, and asking anyone with experience about homesteading and backyard permaculture, it was finally our turn to get our hands in the dirt! The first plant babies we brought home were from a best-buddy of Bryan’s in Norman. These first plants were three slicer tomato plants, two cherry tomatoes, a pepper plant, and a Zucchini plant!

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Three of our very first plants from Norman! Large slicer tomatoes of different varities.

I wanted to be sure to get the new plants in the ground as soon as they were hardened off. This meant we needed to build our beds! Bryan let me go collect some of our first supplies first. We had to go one at a time instead of going as a family because of Covid-19. We want to limit exposure as much as possible with our newborn at home!

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Part of the materials we brought home to get started & tiny little helper feet!

One thing I was super pumped to bring home was a brand new Ryobi circular saw for cutting the cedar boards we needed for the beds to the correct length.

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Just geek out with me for a second, okay?! Its battery is interchangeable with ALL of our other Ryobi tools. *happy squealing noises*

The gentlemen at Home Depot were super helpful and even impressed that I was buying power tools. Especially when they asked which one I was looking for and discussed why I was choosing it. How crazy?! I know there are a lot of women who buy power tools, maybe we are still scarce though? 😂

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Measuring all of the boards out before cutting them.

Bryan and I took turns getting to use the circular saw because it was a new fun tool! In no time, our boards were cut and ready to be put together. We chose cedar fencing planks because the oils in cedar help the wood last longer than cheaper pine planks. The planks all being 6ft made it easy to cut them in half for our desired 3×3 raised bed design. We used scrap wood & a 1×2 at the corners to make sure the beds were sturdy. You don’t want a bed to bust apart and all of your hard work to be lost!

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Here you can see how we reinforced the bed corners.

I found out shortly after this that my skin doesn’t particularly care for cedar oil. So since then, I have made sure to wash my hands or any place the wood touches my arms after working with it. If you plan on building beds with cedar, it might be worth it to also be cautious about the oils on your skin.

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Two of our three, 3×3 beds!

After assembling the beds, we brought them out to a spot we had picked for them in the corner of our yard. We have huge beautiful oak trees that shade most of our backyard. I watched how the sun hit different parts of our backyard before making a decision on where would be best for our garden!

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My middle dragon planting her sunflower seeds!

With the new beds all set up, the big kiddos and I planted some seeds together! We planted Mammoth sunflowers, Cinderella pumpkins, carrots, and propagated some succulents! Every morning, the kids check on their sunflowers to see how much they have grown. It is really impressive how quickly a plant can sprout!

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The tomatoes seem very happy with their new home! Here are my Heirloom Cherokee Tomatoes with their first fruit!

The plants seem to love their new homes and are thriving! I will be sure to post garden updates in future posts so you can see how things are going. I am so thrilled with how things are going and to finally be able to have the garden I have always dreamed of!

Thank you for reading! Be sure to come back to see how the garden is going AND to see what next big project we have in store 🙂

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Jenni Jenkins Sekine Student Midwife

Jenni Jenkins-Sekine, along with her husband Bryan and their four children created Dragon’s Hearth Farm and Apothecary as a manifestation of their dream for an off-grid, full-scale farm. Raised amidst the enchantment of the Appalachian mountains, Jenni’s connection to the land and her passion for sustainability were nurtured from a young age.

Dragon’s Hearth Homestead represents years of careful planning and skill development toward realizing their vision of a self-sustaining lifestyle. Through their website, they aim to share their journey from a small urban farm to a thriving homestead, inspiring others who share their aspirations.

To learn more about Dragon’s Hearth Farm and Apothecary, please click here.

Just a heads-up: this post has some affiliate links. If you decide to sign up or buy something through them, I might earn a little something at no extra cost to you. Plus, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!

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