One of Three Box Garden’s

Originally uploaded by SillySilers.

Okay, I know it is kind of small but a lot of love has gone into this box. My neighbor Dan was the one that introduced this form of gardening. Kim and I just ran with it and created our own way. It’s our first year trying it this way. So we shall see. The soil down in Georgia is not as rich as it is in Tennessee. Last year we planted next to the house but the garden only got about maybe 2 to 3 hours good sunlight. This year we have did the box garden. I am trying different planting methods to see what will produce the best. I am planning on adding more boxes if it goes well, so wish me luck!! I have also started my own compost pile. i found a produce stand that has a lot of refuse. He gives it to me for free. I try stopping by as often as I can (or as often as Kim let’s me). She says I need to slow my roll. I get kind of excited about stuff like this and tend to go overboard. She keeps me in check and reminds me how much work is involved. So I am trying to pace myself with my mulch pile. JT and I collected leaves in the woods out back of our house on a tarp. It took about two or three good trips with leaves pilled onto a tarp, dragged by the 4 wheeler, to get enough to cover my first trip to the produce stand. While I racked leaves, night crawlers were turning up beneath the leaves!!! JT was grabbing them as fast he could see them. He was yelling, “There’s one!!!” and he would snatch and grab it. He grabbed about 2 dozen in just a few minutes. We had them in a cup and he was just grabbing them and shuffling to the next one. It got to the point where he was on a bank above me and I started throwing them to him. He was trying to catch them but he missed but he would grab the worms and add them to the others. It was a lot of fun. Not only are we getting free rotting produce but I hit starbucks about everyday. Not for a $5 coffee but for the grounds. They give them away for free and I am my mama’s boy. If they give it away for free I am going to take it. The first time I went to Starbucks they had 3 big bags in a bucket and I took it all. Now they don’t even bother to put it into fancy bags, they give it to me in garbage bags. So I am cleaning them out daily!!! Little did I know that little old lady’s come by and get it occasionally. I had better watch my back because little old lady’s don’t like it when someone starts butting in on their free stuff. Right Mom?(HAHA) Seriously, they have got it out for me. Next time I go to Starbucks, little old lady’s could jump me in the parking lot. Kicking me and beating me for cutting in on their corner. It has been documented in case anything happens.

Things around our house is very dynamic. One day we have tater bugs eating are 20 pounds of potatoes planted(to ashamed to post pics of that after they were through, they ate a whole row before I could dust them) and the next we have a new pet turtle. Our 4 dogs keep us going between dog fights and the infestation of ticks(JT and I relish picking the ticks of them. One time he and started playing with a pile of them after we picked them off the dogs, mommy was grossed out It was fun) Life at the Siler house is not for the faint of heart. A tough skin and sense of humor make it someplace we all wish we had.