Kicking Off Our Spring Gardening Plans (Plus a $200 Cash Giveaway!)

We’ve spent the last two years working on the inside of the Curbly House, and it’s high time we started focusing some of our energy on the outside. Specifically, the yard – a space that’s in shabby shape after months of construction and damage from heavy machinery. We needed a kick in the pants to get going on the landscaping, and are starting small with a vegetable garden project with the help of Duluth Trading Co. 

Before I get into the details of our garden plan, I’m excited to tell you that you too can get a kick in the heinie and finish up any lingering DIY projects you have hanging around the house (or garden). Simply follow this link for the opportunity to win $200 cash and $200 in Duluth Trading Co. gear to help ‘er done!

I do not have green thumbs. My parents do, so it should be in my DNA, but it’s not. Bruno thumbs are, if anything, black, so it’s a miracle we don’t kill the water-once-a-week succulents we have inside the house.

However, our daughter wants nothing more than to grow vegetables and flowers in the summer (that, and Barbies). In fact, she has been begging us to make her a garden from the moment we bought our house. We’ve had to put off her request for the last couple years because of all the construction and new baby chaos that has been our life, but now that things are settling down, we’re excited to start planning a little garden.

Here’s a little peek into what we’re planning:

Raised Bed Garden

(Images, Clockwise: My. Daily. Randomness // Home Depot // Silver Springs Community)

We’re going to build a frame to house a modest-sized raised bed garden in our backyard. Because the soil near the Southwest corner of our house is rocky and the land is sloped, a raised bed seemed like the best route to take. Ideally, we’d love to create something with a fence or greenhouse-style frame to deter the neighborhood rabbits.

What We’ll (Attempt To) Grow

Curbly (Inspired by Hip Chick Digs)

We’ve read a lot about what produce will do best in our garden. You can literally read yourself crazy when planning a vegetable garden, and we’ve decided that given our lack of green thumbness, we’re going to keep things simple. Ayla’s requests were simple: tomatoes, carrots, peas, and kale (I know, I know, she’s an enigma, this kid).

Our Garden Wardrobe and Gear

Duluth Trading Co. and Amazon

We’re going to construct our “bed” frame as soon as the snow melts and the ground thaws – we’re hoping this takes place by May, because, seriously winter, go away.

We’ve ordered some sweet garden gear from Duluth Trading Co., because while cute, durable clothing is not absolutely required, it is definitely helpful. Breathable, lightweight shirts, heavy-duty garden gloves, and waterproof boots are going to keep us comfortable in the variable weather and make the gardening experience more enjoyable. Also, I like to look put together whilst digging in the dirt.

Also, Duluth Trading Company’s ads make me chuckle:

We’ve gathered a few new garden tools, because at the moment the extent of our lawn tool collection involves a spade and a broken rake. We also rounded up some great, kid-sized utilities so that Ayla can get involved.

We’re clearly still in the planning stages, but so excited for the weather to turn so that we can get our hands in the dirt. If you have any tips for gear, plants, how to make a garden grow, etc., please share them in the comments below!

This post was sponsored by Duluth Trading Company. All opinions are mine alone.