Cart Before the Horse

We are officially vendors and the local farmers market.  One problem, we don't have a garden.  Yes, maybe we put the cart before the horse.  So, to remedy this possible error in judgement, this past Sunday we finalized our plans for the garden, an 8'x12' raised bed, and head off to Home Depot to get lumber.  An hour later we were back home, breaking out the shovels and pick ax and becoming frustrated quickly.  

Our house lies in a new subdivision in the outskirts of Columbus, OH.  When building the houses, the construction company stripped away all of the topsoil and trucked it out, I'm assuming to sell to topsoil companies.  Over the newly shorn land they laid sod.  

Sounds fine I suppose, if scalping the ground is okay with you, but what is underneath the sod is nothing but poor soil and rock.  So much rock that a shovel can only penetrate the earth about an inch and then come to a stop.  While this may be fun for rock collectors, I am not a rock collector.  

After a few hours with a pick ax, shovel, saws and screws we finished the frame to the garden.  Now all that awaits is our load of topsoil we are going to order.  Topsoil, that may have been in our yard at one time.  

One thing we didn't quite realize was just how sloped our yard was.  Since we wanted the garden to be level, it had to be dug out going up the slope.  In the end, one side is level with the ground, the other protrudes up 8 inches.  Now we need to finish digging out the middle, wait a week or so for soil delivery, fill the garden back up, and we'll be ready for the planting season.  

Pictures of the process will be coming soon, as soon as I figure out how to add them.  Stay tuned!