Blood, Sweat and Tears

(May 28, 2009) Nate quickly rendered 3D models of raised bed designs for Inge to choose from. Per her selection, he purchased the cedar planks...and the true grunt work began!

It was incredible to see Nate's daily progress and obvious how much sweat equity was involved. He even spent 3 days sifting rocks from the soil so our long rooted friends could venture past the 10" of added earth in the raised beds.

A new home for our garden!

(May 27, 2009) This past May, we had the pleasure of having Colette and Clark in Portland! During their stay, Inge hosted a fabulous get together with family and friends. It was a splendid evening in the upper 60's, as everyone shared a delicious meal, reminisced about the past, and caught-up to the present in each others' lives.

When Inge asked Nate about his interests for the summer, he mentioned that we were growing veggies and herbs hydroponically. We were also eagerly waiting for a plot to become available at the Gabriel Community Gardens (2 years!). It did not seem likely that this year would pan out since it was already May and yet no word about an opening. Inge suggested that she would be elated if we would like to use a corner of her backyard for a garden. She loved the idea of fresh veggies, herbs and fruit, but stated she would be traveling much of the summer and unable to tend a garden by herself.

We were ecstatic to say the least! :)

Humble beginnings...

(May 16, 2009) With the custom ten bulb florescent T5 lamp that Nate so masterfully constructed, we were on our way to having gorgeous tomato plants!

Nate hand selected a variety of determinate tomato seeds online and eagerly awaited their arrival...checking the mailbox almost daily! At last they arrived, along with an extra FREE pack of seeds that were of the 'big beef' and indeterminate variety (more on this later).

Nate sprouted the seeds, transferred the waif seedlings to clay Hydroton filled mesh baskets and rigged a complex watering system (hydroponics). They grew with vigor and within two weeks we had 6" tall bushes with 'wing spans' of 12" easily. At this time, we believed that only ONE plant would be chosen to life the life of a hydroponic tomato in our rigged IKEA cabinet. Little did we know that change was brewing just around the corner...