Getting started for the Spring veg season

I had a circular raised brick bed put in, just near the decking at the back of the house, last winter. In the middle I planted a weeping ornamental cherry, and intended to put bulbs and annuals all around. I planted vegies instead, knowing there would be another dry summer, and thinking that close to the house would be easy to bucket water. Also the soil was there, and I was in the mood for growing food.
So that went well, and the lettuces self seeded, the silverbeet was cut back to give another season, and the beetroot lingered on.
Today after reading my new book, I got out and prepared 2 "magic metre" beds around the perimeter, in the gaps where the old stuff had been cleared away. I planted one with peas, and the other as a salad picking garden (Spring onions, mesclin mix, red mignonette lettuce, radishes). I prepared a smaller area and poked in a few 1/2 grown leeks that I had planted ages ago from a punnet into a polyfoam box, and never got any further.
Pleased with myself I suggested to Hubby when he was home for lunch, that the whole area should be designated as a kitchen picking garden, and fenced off so the dogs can't go there. Surprisingly he went for the idea, and added the suggestion that we have a decking gate and some steps put in so we can access the area from the kitchen door. So I have discussed the fencing with a young tradesman friend, and it looks like we will be going ahead.
It will develop slowly. The area had to be at least temporarily fenced off anyway, because we are taking out the end of the house and extending, and filling in 1/2 the deck area to make a sunroom/conservatory type room. The work starts in 5 weeks, so I am busy transplanting most of the plants, so the garden will be empty when the work is finished (except for my big circular bed). A lot of the lawn will disappear under kitchen garden, and the rest will be made into a sawdust path.
Will take photos as I go along.
Cheers, Jan

Great stuff Jan.

I have high hopes for the kitchen garden this year. Been digging round and after all the rain the rain has reached way down. So different to last winter - only a couple of inches of damp on top and dry as a bone underneath. No wonder the crops were pitiful.

Hi Siri - sounds like quite a big change for you - I hope you enjoy growing food as much as I do! I'd love to know the name of the book you referred to about the "magic metre".

I'm off to Melbourne this weekend to visit my partner's daughter and will be building a very small raised bed for her. She's not yet into gardening, but she said I could set something up for her and I'm hoping that she'll get hooked when she starts picking some veggies for dinner. Hopefully she'll keep the water up until she gets the gardening bug!

Love hearing about lawn disappearing for food. The changes sound great Jan. And Jaxter, great going building a raised bed for a beginning gardener.

The book is "One Magic Square" by Lolo Houbein. I bought 2 more copies yesterday - one for daughter in Melbourne. I'm delivering that one today. The second one to who ever of my children I see next.
Raised beds are good for reducing frost damage. I found this out by accident at the end of the tomato season early this year.
Cheers, Jan