In 2001 we finished setting up the herb garden to the East of the house, but we were not in time that year to have a decent tomato crop. In 2002 we had a wonderful season for tomatoes, if not for apples, and they were so absolutely delicious---so far beyond store-bought tomatoes (quoth Dan to Steph "why didn't you tell me tomatoes could taste like this?!?")---that we determined to catch the season this year.
A purpose-built bed in the sunny side driveway
was thought by Kay to be the optimum strategy, and several
trips were made with the Subaru to buy stonewall stones (actually
concrete bricks) by Jonathan variously with Merinda and Edwin, who returned
loaded down.
Kay got to work...
She had the help of the first- and second-assistant hindrances.
In for a penny, in for a pound...
may as well raise the herb bed for better drainage while we are at it.
Here you see the work in progress on the site of the original (unwalled)
herb garden. Over 120 stones went into the walls...
Here is the site of the new bed.
This one is built on concrete, and it is plastic-lined and based with river stones.
Here an aerial view from the balcony down to the newly-elevated herb garden.
We took delivery of three cubic yards of Grab and Grow's best organic manure.
Since the truck could only reach the gate, we manually deployed it into the
beds.
("Shovelling it at work and now at home too....")
The finished, freestanding, vegetable bed.
Naturally the sprinkler system has been expanded to match.
We used spare capacity in the 7th bank that we added last year.