Backyard Improvements

I don't know if I mentioned the grow box we built, but anyway, we built one. We bought the least expensive stuff we could find, yet durable, and got it all built. Not the sturdiest thing, but it will last and hold dirt which is all we wanted. Nothing like Shelley's beautiful grow box, which someday I hope to have when we have a more permanent place. But for now, I didn't want to pour out a ton of money at a place we aren't going to stay in forever. Once we got the box built, I cleared an area for it and tried digging holes for the posts but no matter how long I was diggin' the dirt wouldn't give. I couldn't get a hole in the ground to save my life. Shovel, hoe, hand shovel, wetting it, nothing would help. So I just dug a small square ditch, put the box in it, supported it with rocks and dirt around the edges and kept it bottom side up, with the posts sticking up in the air. No way was I going to be out there for 12 hours digging holes for those posts in that forsaken dirt. Once I placed it, I was wondering what to do with the posts sticking up in the hair. I didn't want people to trip and fall on or hit them, that would hurt, so I think we are going to buy some chicken wire and attach that to the posts, all the way around the box, and make the wire tall, so no birds or critters get inside the box. It would eliminate the dangers of the exposed posts and also use them for something useful. So that's our plan.

I planted some basil and cilantro in some cups and they started sprouting a couple days ago! I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited. Ask Gabe. I actually got something to grow and did it all on my own. And then we bought some grass seed and its starting to grow too! I can't wait to have our back yard look nice enough to actually go to and relax outside. Now if only I could find a nice looking firepit on Craigslist to put back there we could have a nice little party with some friends! Anyway, here are some pics of the backyard:
Before, when we first moved in about a year ago: (That beer box was there when we moved in. yuck)

And now:

We had some people drop off a TON of dirt for free, off craigslist, and we spent 3 hours together sifting out all the rocks, while the girls were alseep, and transporting it back to the back yard from the driveway. That nice clear spot by the fence is where it all went and it filled in a good 3-4 inches of nice clean fill dirt which will do nicely for grass.
Our Cilrantro and Basil plants have sprouted!

 And the grass that we planted is starting to grow!

 And the empty grow box that we need to get chicken wire for. We got the lattice for a dollar off craigslist.

We are super excited to have a functional backyard right now. I can't wait for the grass to grow in all the way. What a change it will be from looking at dirt back there for the past year.