Garden : Raised bed planting

Last time we talked about the new raised bed it looked like this:

After a free weekend (FINALLY!) It looks like this:

I knew I had to get some veggies in the ground asap and after having the bed for a solid two days realized Murphy was going to make it his personal outdoor playground. There was no way I was about to let him trample all my hard work and those glorious veggies!

I found these rolls of cedar fencing and Lowes. I grabbed three (seeing as the side along the house doesn't need fencing) and rolled them out. Starting in the farthest right corner I slowly worked my way around the bed hammering in the pickets. Turns out this process was way easier than I imagined and so far Murphy has left my garden alone!

Now lets talk about what everyone is just dying to know - What did I plant?! 

Along the side of the house (see the picture above) I have four pepper plants - three bell and one jalapeno with a few "pollinators" mixed in. In the same bed but towards the yard you have two spaghetti squash and two butternut squash plants. These I put at either end of the bed to give them "running room" towards each other.

In the back corner - where the two beds meet - I put seeds for beans that will form a bush rather than pole beans that climb.

Down the other side of the bed I have four tomato plants - celebrity, arkansas traveler, roma, and big beef. 

All the tomato plans are staked and tied with twine to help as the grow larger. Once they overtake the stake I will put a cage around them. 

The metal markers you see I bought at target THREE years ago thinking I would use them for parties or a craft project. Instead they are being used as intended! I loved that I happened to have those on hand.

Lastly, I planted herb seeds. One thing I found out is that cilantro is a WINTER herb and is not intended for summer growth. How crazy is that?! 

Italian herbs are best in summer so I planted basil, oregano, and parsley. I cannot wait to see them start to pop up!! The herb markers are left over stir sticks from this bridal shower :) resourceful if I do say so myself! So there you have it, my fully planted garden.... now to get things to grow and more importantly - stay alive!!