Adventures in Gardening - It All Started with a Facebook Post

If you've read my blog, I think you know by now I am not very domestic.  My sister definitely got that gene in our family!  :)  Every once in a while though, I come across something I think I just might be able to pull off.  It all started with this photo my mom shared on Facebook that she found of a Wagon Wheel Herb Garden:

What a great idea!  There's 12 different types of herbs/flowers planted in this old wagon wheel.  It's big enough for variety, but small enough that no tilling is involved.  That's right up my alley! 

When my mom, dad, and I went to Amish Country last weekend, we were on the search for wagon wheels so we could do this.  Mom wanted a big one like this one and I wanted a smaller one.  (I've never gardened before and I have no clue what I'm doing.  Naturally, starting out small is the way to go for me!).  We found some big buggy wheels, but they were pretty pricey, so in the end, we bought a set of matching smaller wheels that are 17" across.  

Here's how the process went:

Step 1 - Find a wheel (in Amish Country) - $14

Step 2 - Have a day off and the urge to spend some time/money in Lowes.

Step 3- Measure the wagon wheel and remember how many sections it has.

Step 4 - Call mom from Lowe's repeatedly trying to figure out what supplies I need to plant a garden.  (Turns out I needed gardening potting soil, a pot, a base for the pot so the water doesn't flood my deck, a wire brush to scrub the rust off the wheel, Rust-oleum rusty metal primer to spray on the wheel, and the herbs).

Step 5 - Call hubby from Lowe's to find out what type of herbs he wants.  Hubs didn't have time to talk b/c he was working.  Turns out, I'm not big on herbs after all b/c I only found 3 I wanted.  Picked up some cilantro, hot spicy oregano, and Greek oregano plants. 

Step 6 - Pick out some fruit/veggie plants to add to the mix.  I picked up strawberries, banana peppers, and green peppers.

Step 7 - Clear off the spot on the deck to put my garden where it will be sunny sometimes (and rain water will reach the plants) and shady sometimes (and not fry my plants).

Step 8 - Scrub the wheel with the metal brush.

Step 9 - Spray paint the wheel with the Rust-oleum.

Step 10 - Lug the rest of the supplies up the deck and start putting it all together.

Step 11 - Put the base down, the pot in it, and some packing "popcorn" in the bottom.

Step 12 - Add the base of potting soil and the freshly painted wheel.

Step 13 - Plan the layout of where each plant is going to go.

Step 14 - Begin adding the plants in each section, surrounding them with potting soil as you go.

Step 15 - Water all the plants (literally soak the soil).

Step 16 - Clean up all the containers the plants came in and other supplies.

Step 17 - Take lots of pictures of your fabulous garden and send them to you friends/family so they can be shocked that you planted a garden.  :)

Step 18 - Pray you don't kill what you just planted and that the herbs/veggies/fruit starts to grow.

Step 19 - Text parents, friends, and whomever else may know what to do next and ask for advice.  Also - Google is your friend!

Step 20 - Continue to water, weed, and watch your garden grow.  Who-hoo!!

Step 21 - Convince hubs he needs to cook something with what you grew :).

~ I'll add some gardening blog posts in the future as the fruits/veggies (hopefully) begin to grow and let you know how it goes.