The new raised beds are getting built and going into place. We changed up how we’re making them. Instead of using angle irons in the corners, we’re using 4×4’s.

In the guise of working smarter, not harder, we’re cutting the short boards one inch shy of 4 feet. This way we can staple the 4′ hardware cloth right to the bottom of the bed. By using posts instead of the irons, we can make the beds in the shop and use the tractor to set them in place.

So far, the only thing we’ve had to purchase to make the raised beds is the hardware cloth. This lays at the bottom of the bed and prevents voles and other critters from getting up into the bed and eating the plants.

The 4×4 posts we are using came from a wooden fence we removed several years ago when we put up the black chain link fence (to keep deer out). The aged wood came from a years-old stockpile and the new boards are literally brandy-new! Mr. Bee has a friend with a saw mill who cut these boards from a tree Mr. Bee cut down last year.

Mr. Bee also had a few metal fence posts lying around so I used those to make a trellis for the sweet peas. I’m excited to see how they grow this year. Last year they got infested with aphids and never recovered. I also created makeshift trellises with some old hollow metal poles and set them in the raised beds. They all fell over.

This year I have the sweet peas in a no-till bed I laid down last fall. I think they will be happier there AND the trellis is much sturdier!

I experimented with starting the sweet peas in toilet paper tubes. It is an unqualified success! You can see some lovely, healthy roots coming out the bottom of the tube. Plus, you don’t disturb the root system because you plant the tube and all right into the ground!

Let me introduce you to my favorite planting tool. Life is SO. MUCH. EASIER. using an auger to drill holes for plants! I just zipped along making holes for the sweet peas.

Mr. Bee surprise-gifted me Big Red here. We still need a special handle that attaches to the top of the drill so I can hold it two-handed. You can dig a hole in a minute for a quart-size pot! The smaller one here is extremely handy, especially for planting bulbs and smaller plants. This is me planting the sweet peas in their new home.

Happy Mother’s Day friends! I’ll be visiting a local Tulip Farm with my DIL, a special gift from a friend.

Happy Gardening! ♥