So today was the day! The install of the side garden veggie beds! Only, it didn't go quite the way we wanted...
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| Raised Beds Install, Day 1 |
Lowe's delivered the 20' 2x6 composite decking at about 9:45 this morning. Chris and I had it cut up in about 45 minutes, ready to attach the handy-dandy bed corners. I began attaching them, when the dirt arrived around 11:15. It was all downhill from there.
Fiasco #1
As I'm attaching the special corners to the 2x6's, I realize that decking isn't quite two inches wide. More like 1 1/2 inches, so there's a gap on one side. Not too big of a problem. Proceed.
Fiasco #2
Shortly on the heels of #1, I realized that we could only screw the corners onto the composite decking on the front side. The other side of the decking has grooves, and the screws didn't have anything to screw into. Again, not too big of a problem. Proceed.
Fiasco #3
We don't have enough corners! When I ordered them, I imagined having 16" board on the sides of the long bed. It was only after I received the parts did I realize that I had to break up the 16' expanse with 2 beds. That would have required 12 more pieces. We solved the problem by just designing it by putting a stake in the middle and connect the beds that way. We thought we were so smart. But that makes no sense at all either...
After that decision, we were riding high thinking that we'd been pretty lucky so far. The next step was to drill the 12" holes for the bed anchors. I called Home Depot last week to see about renting a one man auger, and the HD guy said, "Our tools are first come, first served. But we have 4 of that particular item and they have NEVER all been out at the same time. Come by Saturday and pick one up."
Fiasco #4
We get to Home Depot and they are OUT of the one man augers. No joke. Oh well. We got on their waiting list and came home.
Chris decided to take a pick axe and go at the holes himself. I tried that a couple weeks ago and pulled rock after rock out of the ground. He was going at the holes, and I was finishing putting the corners on the boards.
(Near) Fiasco #5
Since the anchors needed to go 12' deep, Chris dug holes that deep. As he's pulling up on the pick axe one time, I notice the ground about 2 feet out on each side is coming up. I advised him that he has something hooked, a PVC pipe or something. It was the irrigation pipe and wires. Good thing we were paying attention...
Fiasco #6
When I finished attaching the corners, I stood up and realized the beds were over 2' off the stucco wall, and there was not nearly as much room as I had imagined between the edge of the bed and the fence. I'm further frustrated that the anchors he was able to get into the ground aren't where they need to be, and none of the boards stack on them; they're all off by a couple inches. We have to move the anchors. Frustration begins to boil over and we're getting tired and hot.
TIMEOUT.
Chris and I come inside to sit and talk, and take a well-deserved break. He said that he would have to reposition many of the anchors and that they couldn't be any closer to the wall. The soil is too rocky for the anchors.
K: Could we make the anchors shorter?
C: No.
K: Hmm. Whatif - could we get closer to the house if we only dug down 6" instead of 12"?
C: Yes.
K: What about 4x4 composite posts?
C: How much did you spend on the corners?
K: Checking....$148.
C: Damn. At least it wasn't like $500. Let's call it a wash, you can sell those parts or we can keep them for a better area or something, and we'll go to Lowe's and get the posts.
K: Deal.
So by this time (~3pm), I had imagined that we would be bringing back wheelbarrows of dirt, but after making a trip to spend an unexpected $250 at Lowe's for composite 4x4's, composite wood screws, and caps for the 4x4s (they're hollow and ugly if sticking straight up), we're beat, and a little defeated. We get a do-over tomorrow.
Tomorrow's plan:
Cut the 4x4's down to 24" each. Sink them into the ground 5" and attach the side boards. Fill with dirt. Plant seeds.
Sounds easy, doesn't it? That's what I thought at first too.
