Hi everybody! Hope you are all staying safe during the Corona Virus outbreak. My sisters and I have recently been feeling some cabin fever and have been looking to find fun ways to spend time. In order to get outside a bit (and enjoy home grown--Corona free food), we have started a fun vegetable garden on our front deck. Much of our property is shaded by Torrey Pines. However, the front deck above the garage gets both southern and western exposure.
We went to Armstrong's (always keeping a reasonable social distance!) and picked up two 1x4 foot redwood beds which hold about four cubic square feet of soil. We bought a few different potting soils in order get a nice mix of nutrients. Armstrong's actually has a really nice stock of spring plants right now (including some natives). My dad picked up a Manzanita that we planted in the front yard.
In our small garden we have planted tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, snap-peas, beans, and much more! We probably went a little overboard but with 5 of us at home having nothing to do, we just couldn't stop planting. The only problem with making an organic garden is you need to be willing to stick your hand in chicken and worm poop. My dog was the only one in my family that wasn't reluctant to touch the poop. Heck, she even ate some of it. Half of us threw up in our mouths while the other half just laughed. Creating a garden is a great way to spend your time and gives you an excuse to go out and get some fresh air. It is a great activity and gets me off of my iPhone. Each day we walk outside to check on our garden and take progress photos.
We also frequently walk down to our Adopt-A-Spot at the top of Anderson Canyon in Del Mar. It needs lots of weeding because of all the recent rain. It feels good to go outside because one can only watch TV for so long. It's also a good way to exercise because most of us are not able to play sports with friends at this time. Enjoy the fresh air and be safe!