Our first tiny vegetable garden

My backyard is rather sloped and shady, so it's not ideal for growing vegetables. However, I decided to give it a try with a little 4x6 foot raised bed. I thought that the kids would really enjoy planting seeds and tending to a small space, and if nothing grows we won't have put too much into it. I actually built this myself (I'm as surprised as you) and there was very little swearing involved. I figured out the measurements beforehand, went to Home Depot, picked out the wood and had THEM cut it. Yes, it would have been greener to use salvaged wood, say from the ReBuilding Center, but they won't cut it for you, and that was really a crucial step for me.

I picked 8" wide cedar boards and 4x4" posts (which I found in the scrap bin next to the table saw). I think they charge $.50 per cut, and they will stack the boards to make one cut if they can. I used galvanized screws, which won't rust outdoors, to attach the boards to the posts and assembled it all in about 20 minutes. (The posts aren't set into the ground; they just keep the box sturdy.) I filled it with a mix of soil and planting compost, and hopefully we'll plant our seeds in the next couple of weeks. I installed an irrigation system last year (I know, again, it's pretty unbelievable) so it was really easy to add these two little sprinklers. My daughter has decided that we'll plant sweet peas, green beans and carrots, with a little patch of lettuce for me and Daddy. I think the most exciting part of this project is listening to her excitement. I'm looking forward to watching the kids eat peas right off the vine.