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How to Start a Garden From Scratch: Garden Soil Preparation

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Want to know how to start a garden from scratch? This is the ultimate guide to garden soil preparation for newbie gardeners! Want to know how to start a garden from scratch? This is the ultimate guide to garden soil preparation for newbie gardeners! 

Ok, now let’s be honest.  Instagram made me do it.  Since spring I’ve seen people gardening and shrugged it off.   This summer? I hopped on the bandwagon.  I wanted to garden too! Here’s the deal….I don’t even like DIRT.  I had no idea was I getting into.  You have to laugh, because……had I known what a process garden soil preparation would be, I never would have started.  But you know what else I am? Stubborn.  If I start something, I have to finish it.

So I did it.  I turned our hard as a rock, clay soil filled and abandoned plot into a garden (well at least the dirt preparation part).  We moved into our house in San Diego a little over a year ago…..and this plot? Was empty.  Dirt and an old palm tree stump.  When my garden fantasy began, I knew it was the perfect space to turn into a small vegetable garden.  I gathered my essential gardening tools, and got to work!

How to Start a Garden From Scratch: Garden Soil Preparation

Garden Soil Preparation: BEFORE (clay soil, San Diego)

< can you believe this before? the rocks were out of control! >

Here are the steps I took in our garden soil preparation process.

  1. Stump Removal: The first step for us? Was removing the old palm tree stump.  Now, while we could have used stump remover and TRIED to do it ourself…..it seemed like a pretty big undertaking.  We hired a tree removal service.  They ground out the stump and removed it’s pieces.  They also remarked that there were a LOT of rocks in the plot (that should have been a warning right?)
  2. Remove Large Rocks: Yes, I know that roots can grow around rocks.  But did you see the HUGE rocks I pulled out of the plot? There were so many, that I worried they would make it hard for plants to grow.  Plus, I was trying to remove a few inches of clay soil so that we could add in healthy garden soil for planting and the more rocks I removed? The lower the soil level.  Fast forward over a thousand large rocks, some sore arms and hands……and the rocks were MOSTLY gone.  At least the larger ones.Garden Soil Preparation: Rock Removal
  3. Soil Level and Clay Soil Tilling: Now here’s the part of garden soil preparation that took……three weeks.  Since our soil is HARD clay soil, it was a slow process.  Breaking apart the soil, removing the dead palm tree roots (they’re STUBBORN) and taking away enough soil to lower the plot’s dirt level about 3 or 4 inches.  We could have a used a rototiller, but…..I ended up doing it all by hand with a hand tiller.  There were still so many large rocks I was afraid they’d break a machine (and I removed more of them as I went by hand)…..plus I had a little fear about lines under the bed.  So, one day at a time.  I broke apart the dirt and worked my way through.  It was exhausting, but it was the best way to work through the heavy clay and to really turn it over.                                                                                                            Shop Hand Tillers Here:                                                                                                                                   
  4. Build and Install Raised Bed: After a LONG set of days digging and tilling…..I took a break to build and install our raised bed.  The galvanized raised bed we got? Was SUPER easy to put together and the perfect size for our smaller garden plot.                                                                                                                          Shop Raised Beds Here:                                                                                                                                     
  5. Layer of Healthy Garden Soil: So if you watched as I worked on this step on Instagram stories, then you know we had a few bumps in the road.  By we, I mean me.  I went to the Garden Center and picked up what I thought was soil to create a nice layer of healthy soil for our vegetable garden.  What I actually bought? Was amend for the soil.  I needed that, but it wasn’t enough on it’s on.  So back to the store I went.  The second time I got it right.  Six bags of soil, spread over the broken up clay soil was the perfect amount.  I got about 3-4 inches of nice healthy soil ready for planting.
  6. Amend the Soil: Working on amending your soil?  Why? You’re basically adding essential nutrients to your soil to create a better environment for your plants and crops.  Since our soil is……terrible, I used a great amendment and then added worm casting after that.
  7. Worm Castings: All my garden friends swore that worm castings were a requirement for my garden.  Not a ton, but just a light sprinkling on top, then mixed into the soil.

Garden Soil Preparation: After

And with that? Garden Soil Preparation complete!

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❤️We have everything ready for when our kids a ❤️We have everything ready for when our kids are sick…..but tell the truth, what about when YOU'RE not feeling your best?❤️⠀
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🧡<Sponsored by Avrio Health> Let’s be honest, this normally falls to the wayside, am I right?  As parents, we tend to be way more prepared for our kids' sick days than our own. ⠀
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💛This year, I’m committing to being AS PREPARED to take care of myself as I am to take care of Lydia (reminder moms, these aren’t mutually exclusive….taking care of YOURSELF is important too). I always keep “sick day supplies” on hand for Lydia and this year I'm finally making myself a priority too. ⠀
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💚In my "Sick Day" Kit:⠀
1️⃣Orange Juice:  If I start to feel sick…..Vitamin C filled juice is first up!⠀
2️⃣ @Betadine_us Antiseptic Sore Throat Gargle: This fast-acting gargle temporarily relieves occasional sore throat. I stocked up on this! You can #UpYourGargleGame by buying it at Walgreens or from Amazon! Betadine Gargle should be used as directed for adults and children 12 years and older. See product labeling for directions and warnings. ⠀
3️⃣Heating Pad: Sore muscles? Slept poorly? All of these things tend to come along with sick days and a heating pad is a must have.⠀
4️⃣Ice Packs: I started stocking extra ice packs in our freezer in case of headaches.⠀
5️⃣Soup: Tummy trouble? Better to have soup on hand for when I need it.⠀
⠀
💙What do you keep in the house for sick days?⠀
Watch out for that glass ladies……it’s everyw Watch out for that glass ladies……it’s everywhere!

To broken glass ceilings, rebuilding our nation, and starting the journey of 1000 miles with a single step.

Joy cometh in the morning.
📣How are you using your Influence?📣⠀
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💛I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. We ALL have influence…..on this app, in our church pews, on our personal social media, in our private conversations, talking from 6 feet apart to our neighbors, in the way we address conflicting viewpoints (note to self on this one), over our children and our students.  To be in community with others is to have influence.  How are we each using it? ⠀
⠀
💛This lady? We’re talking all about Inspiration this month and she’s one of mine.  At 75 years old (happy birthday Dolly), not only is she one of THE most successful recording artists…..but talk about using your influence.  From speaking up to say that Black Lives Matter to founding her Imagination Library which provides books to children worldwide…..this lady proactively uses her talent and influence to serve others.  May I do the same at the ripe age of 75.⠀
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💛So what does that look like for me? Authentic conversation everywhere…..including here.  To be transparent, every time I’ve spoke up about basic human rights here in the last few years…….people leave our community. And that? Is just fine with me.  Because, what good is this community if I can't speak about the values that are a core part of who I am? Now? I want to do more. A foundation? Charity work? I’m not sure, but I can tell you…..I’m inspired and I hope you are too.  Change starts with us.⠀
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💛(ps, if you want to support Dolly’s Imagination Library, a book is donated to it for every one of these sweatshirts sold….I include the info here for those of you on like to know it and in my profile for the rest of y’all).⠀
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📷 “Mom I want to do my OWN pictures. I picke 📷 “Mom I want to do my OWN pictures.  I picked out my favorite dress and shoes.  Can I do that when we take pictures?”📷⠀
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✨Story time.  I rarely share pictures of Lydia by herself on here.  But this? Is a story of when my seven year old reminded me how to love myself.  We had plans to shoot a BUNCH of images at once, a batch shoot.  So as Lydia watched me planning outfits and get organized, she decided she wanted to do her own thing.  She picked an outfit and her favorite shoes. ⠀
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✨And she did the darn thing.  This? She picked the angle and background.  And the joy? Look at the joy.  That’s not posed. ⠀
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✨Somewhere along the way…..as tweens or teens or adults, we lose the joy.  The, I feel pretty and want to twirl in my dress joy.  We worry that our thighs are rubbing together or our hair looks weird, or that we should be wearing a darker color to minimize things.  And…..we’re missing the point.  Sometimes, you just need a dress you can twirl in with a smile on your face.⠀
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✨Thanks Lydia. ⠀
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#troopselflove ⠀
💕 Here’s your reminder that you are never:⠀ 💕 Here’s your reminder that you are never:⠀
-too curvy ⠀
-too old⠀
-too late⠀
-too busy being a mom⠀
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To celebrate yourself! 💕⠀
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These photos are something I told myself a million times I wanted to take.  And something I told myself a million times I shouldn’t.  Here’s to the millionth time plus one.  A 41 year old curvy mom.  Yup, thick thighs and all.  And I’m so proud of how they turned out.⠀
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#troopselflove
⁉️Two Truths and a Lie (can you guess which is ⁉️Two Truths and a Lie (can you guess which is the lie?)⁉️⠀
1️⃣2021 is the year we’re committing to taking multivitamins daily⠀
2️⃣Lydia is a picky eater⠀
3️⃣Multivitamins are a quick fix⠀
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💛 #ritualpartner Did you guess which was the lie?⠀
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💛You guys know I’m allllll about simple lifestyle adjustments that make change over time instead of big, hard to maintain resolutions. And one of the best adjustments we’ve made? I’m not even sure it counts as a New Year’s adjustment because we actually started in December........we’ve FINALLY committed to taking @ritual multivitamins each day. Will this be an overnight game changer? Nope. But it will be an important simple change that will support our health in the long run. And I’m here for it.⠀
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💛Since we love a mommy and me vibe, I was excited when I ordered my first bottle of Ritual⠀
multivitamins and discovered that.....they have kids products now! Like all Ritual products, the⠀
new kids vitamins are sugar free, gluten free and non-gmo.....but unlike the adult version,⠀
these are a gummy....and even my picky eater (hint, hint if you’re still guessing the lie) loves⠀
them!⠀
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💛Want to make this simple change with us? ⠀
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💛You can use code CARLY10 to get 10% off your first 3 months of Ritual multiitamins (the code works on the adult and teen vitamins too!)⠀
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💛Now......did you guess the lie????⠀
💕Let’s talk about kids+talking about scary th 💕Let’s talk about kids+talking about scary things💕⠀
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Yesterday, we all watched in horror as domestic terrorism took place before our eyes. It is….terrifying, sad, anger inducing, and yet ANOTHER example of the blatant hatred and racism that are sewed into the threads of our nation. What happened is not ok. I know that we all want better for our children. We want our babies to grow up safe, loved+valued.⠀
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I talked in my stories today about ways to talk to your children about yesterday’s events. While I wish I could say that we won’t need to have anymore of these discussions……I think we all know that as a collective, we have a long way to go and that these dialogs will come up again and again.⠀
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I want to remind you:⠀
💕you know your children, you know what is appropriate to share with them based on their age, knowledge of events, anxiety levels…..listen to your gut here⠀
💕I believe that information fights fear and anxiety, and that there are levels of information that age appropriate and some that aren’t (for instance, Lydia DID watch the news with us yesterday, but I left the room with her as they showed some of the more violent parts of the riot including footage of the shooting)⠀
💕it’s important to remind our babies that our role in their lives is to protect them, and that we will ALWAYS do that to the best of our ability⠀
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Ways to Start a Discussion About Scary Things:⠀
💕draw a picture of feelings (you and your child, then share and describe)⠀
💕use toys or puppets to model feelings ⠀
💕movement helps, go for a walk and talk⠀
💕just start….”This is hard to talk about, but I wanted to discuss what happened yesterday with you and to hear how you are feeling about it.”⠀
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💕It’s ok if you don’t know how to do this, or don’t have all the answers.  Parenting is about doing your best, and loving your kids.  And guess what? Your kids love the imperfect, honest version of you.  The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step.  I believe in you.  I believe in us.  I believe in our children and our ability to raise them in a way that changes……everything.⠀
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< I’ve tagged some accounts that are an amazing resource to me in learning how to talk to Lydia>
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