Set-Up - Part 2

As it turned out, one cubic yard was not enough.

So the next day, I got another one…

And it STILL was not enough. By this point, I was TIRED. I was so over shoveling and raking dirt. My body hadn’t been used so much in MONTHS. My muscles were aching, my back hurt, and I was so annoyed that this damn garden wasn’t full yet.

It wasn’t going to fill itself, though, and those lovely plants I’d bought weeks ago REALLY needed to get in the ground… so, the next day, we went for number three.

And it was, FINALLY, enough. It took three cubic yards, or three pickup truck loads, of dirt to fill this thing. And look how pretty it was turning out. This was a *lot* of work - more physical labor than I had done in years. I didn't want to unload that second truck of dirt, and I wanted to unload the third one even less, but I did it anyway. This was huge for me. After struggling with major depressive disorder and low motivation for months, not wanting or being able to do much of anything in my day to day other than the bare minimum to survive and take care of my kids, I was so damn proud of myself for what I had accomplished. On top of that, I felt *happy*. Seeing all the plants and this big garden filled with green leaves and brown soil brought me a sense of calm that I hadn't experienced in a very long time.

Next, it was time to settle on the garden plan and get down to the business of planting.