I feel shy about posting this photo of our “farm” in progress.  We have so far to go that I feel like crying.  However, this is a good (realistic) picture of our side yard/garden, the coop, and a glimpse onto the grassy area where we’ll be building raised beds later this year.

In the foreground is monster bed #4.  I don’t know what happened here…  It took a MONTH to dig, for goshsakes!  It’s might be too wide, and it definitely is the deepest bed so far.  I got thrown off by the slope of the hill and by the endless rain delays.  Right now I’m just embarrassed by this huge thing when I wish I felt proud of it.

Here is another picture of beds 2, 3 and 4 from the other corner of the yard:

Why did I make that bed so big?  Or would you feel shy and squeamish to show these photos, too?

Bed #4 (in the background of the second photo) and farther up in the distance have been the problem areas of our garden.  Plants have started out well, but they frequently atrophied after a couple of months of growth. 

The other beds have been fairly easy to dig.  This one was really hard to dig because I kept running into asphalt and huge rocks.  Below the layer of rocks, the dirt was dense clay.  None of the amendments we’ve used over the last few years penetrated the rock layer 2 feet down. 

So, with the slope, the rain delays, my frustration with the rocks and all the extra amendments I put into this bed, it became a stupid diva of a bed.  It takes up entirely too much space and looks ridiculous.

But I won’t tear it down yet.  I’ll plant it and hope my hard work gives something nice to the vegetables that grow there.  Maybe I’ll rework it next year.