What we've been up to during the pandemic

Well, we've had a lot of family time during the pandemic. Japan has been fortunate to have had one of the lowest rates of testing positive for the virus of any developed country. I don't know why.

While doing our part in preventing the spread of the virus, we managed to get some projects either started or completed. One of the projects is a raised bed hoop garden.

The soil is rocky in many areas of the yard. To compensate for this we decided to make a raised bed garden. I dug each raised bed garden about 2 feet deep. The first foot is filled with organic matter. The rest is filled with a local organic compost. I leveled and placed the cement blocks. No mortar was required because the blocks were painted with a very strong rubber paint made for concrete blocks. Treated 2x4's were glued to the top of each block. The result is a very solid raised bed that looks good too.

Oh, before I forget...I also painted and stained the garage. I want to take good care of the garage because that's where my hobby shop is located.

I also found a great recipe for almond/vanilla anise biscotti. Erika is crazy in love with biscotti. She can't stop eating them!

Back to the garden beds...the organic matter is added to the bottom of the bed after the blocks are installed and painted.

The treated 2x4's are then installed. The layer of lumber on top of the blocks are glued in place to lock the everything in place. The second layer of lumber is used for the base framing of the hoops...more on that later. 

This is where we are now. The four beds are ready for the hoops and covers. These beds should make a nice place to get an early start on melons and other long season crops. I also want to try square foot gardening in one or two of the beds.

This gives you an idea about how deep these beds are. It should be more than enough to grow root crops. Okay, so there you have it. We have been trying our best to make a bad situation better. I know things are not so good in the U.S. and our hearts go out to those who are struggling just to survive. Please stay safe and healthy.