Create your own Veggie Garden!

Hey everyone!

I have always wanted to create my own space to grow some vegetables but have never really had any luck in the past. Since we have recently moved house, the new house has provided me with this opportunity as there is an old, run down veggie patch with an overgrown bush of parsley that is taking up most of the space. The previous owners also left us two faded garden gnomes in the veggie patch and I thought it would be fun the re-do the veggie patch and give it a new life.

The old veggie patch is just a simple box made out of wooden boards.  

~The old Veggie patch in the backyard~

We recently took the long trip to the massive nursery in our state. While we were there, we purchased some veggies and some herbs. As our veggie patch is not very big we didn’t purchase too many seedlings, as there would not be enough room for all of the plants. Besides, we have to leave some room for the garden gnomes too! We also only purchased veggies that we would use constantly- otherwise it is a waste of time, space and money. The seedlings that were purchased were basil, cherry tomatoes, Tiny Tim Tomatoes, Cos Lettuce. 

~Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, Tiny Tim Tomatoes, Cos Lettuce seedlings~

We began removing the gnomes and sweeping up the cob webs in the corner of the patch. The parsley bush was growing quite big and was becoming very overgrown so we pulled out majority of the plants except for one. This would provide more room in the veggie patch and also allow the smaller parsley bush to grow again.   Next, we turned over the soil using a shovel and also added in some new soil to help the plants thrive. To ensure that the soil is moist when planting we wet the soil down with the hose and constantly turned over the soil to ensure it is moist right through.

~Soil ready to plant~

As the Veggie patch was not big enough to plant all of the seedlings, the larger Tommy Tomato and the basil was also planted in a separate pot. This left the Cos Lettuce and the Tiny Tim tomato seedlings to be planted in the veggie patch. Next, we dug three holes in rows of two. On the label of the Tiny Tim tomatoes it says to plant them 50cm apart! We didn't plant them that far - otherwise there would have been no room for the lettuces!  Next door we repeated the same steps for the Cos Lettuces however a little closer together. My Veggie patch receives almost full sun but we strategically planted the tomatoes in the spot that would receive the most sun throughout the day.
Once all the seedlings were in, we watered them well. At first the seedlings will look a bit sad and droopy but if you ensure that you water them each day, their roots will begin to grow and slowly stable the plant.

~Seedlings looking a bit sad!~

We then went and started on the gnomes. The original gnomes were very faded and run down. So we decided to paint them and make them look happy again!

Materials:
~ Acrylic paint
~ Paint pallet
~ Paint brushes
~ Glass of water
~ Artline Permanent marker
~ Mr Super Clear Mat (optional)
~ Your imagination!

We began with the face and worked our way down, leaving them to dry in the sun between coats. Luckily it was a warmish day so they dried really quickly and we were able to do the next coat quicker. For the eyes, it was decided to draw the black pupil on with a permanent marker instead of the acrylic paint. This is because we have more control with the marker rather than the paint brush.
I used an Artline Permanent Marker as I find this lasts the longest, also provides good coverage and only requires one coat.
Once all of the painting was completed we left them to dry for the rest of the day and overnight to ensure that the Acrylic paint was completely dry- besides we don't want dirt to stick to the paint! I wasn't sure whether the Acrylic paint would last in the weather- so just to be sure I sprayed them with an Acrylic sealing spray. I used Mr Super Clear Mat- as I have used it before; I know it works and doesn't turn the paint yellow over time.

Below is a before and after photo of how they turned out!

~Before and after transformation~

~Little Mushroom statues~

~Wagon Wheels~

We also added some old wagon wheels for a rustic decoration and also another mushroom statue to go with the freshly paint gnomes. I think the wagon wheels go well with the rustic cladding of the veggie patch.
If you have an issue with snails eating your veggies and have given up on planting seedlings. A little tip that will allow your seedlings to thrive while they're young, is to recycle some used yogurt pots and cut the base out, turn them upside down and place them over the seedlings. This will stop the snails as they cannot slide over the edge of the yogurt pot and hopefully allow your plants to grow. Once they have grown over a few months, remove the yogurt pot as the plant should be stable now.

I hope this post has inspired you to create your own veggie garden and to try new/ different fruits and Vegetables! Comment down below if you have ever create your own veggie garden and what your experience was!

Make sure to stay tuned for more up coming blog posts!

Hugs and kisses :0)

Em x