Work in Progress

We have a lovely yard with many rhododendrons in the front and plenty of shade from two large maple trees in the back yard. Sunny spots for growing vegetables - um, not so much. We've talked about alternatives, and tentatively decided that pots in the long driveway on the south side of the house would be good because the heat reflecting off the house would help grow tomatoes. Then Neal designed a 4x7 foot raised box that would hold topsoil and so we could work on the plants at a level that Neal could reach. Plan A - put it against the fence so it doesn't take a lot of space. Plan B, put it across the driveway towards the back where it would be a visual barrier for all the weeds I'll probably never get off the rocks on the retaining wall. Last Saturday Chris and Neal built the box in the garage, then Chris and I moved it to the driveway using a small rolling pallet. Neal bought casters for it, and my visiting teacher helped me tip it over on its side (thanks Marianna!) so Neal could drill the drain holes and attach the casters to the 4x4 legs. Neal and I tipped it over the other way so the last two wheels could be attached and then we tipped it back right side up, letting it land on a large bag of fertilizer. It is VERY heavy, but the corner posts made it possible for me to rock the box and push it onto the fertilizer. Then Neal raised it with the big hydraulic jack and I removed the bag of fertilizer so it would sit on the ground.
While I'm inside recovering from the exertion, Neal is sitting in his wheelchair shoveling rock into the box for drainage. Then it will have a barrier cloth, then the topsoil and then the plants. It is amazing to me how creative and hard-working this good husband is.