Garden & Outdoors
No wasted food. Learn to garden. Have fun with Mom.
My teen wanted to join a Garden Club. I wanted to stop wasting food. The little one just wanted to play in the dirt. So naturally, I decided we should build a garden even though I have absolutely no clue what I am doing. 😂
I have no clue what I am doing. That is kind of the point.
My Godmother had a compost bin in her kitchen. Then I saw the big one outside. My little one got excited, my teenager rolled her eyes, and I was all in.
Now we are learning about composting, raised garden beds, soil, vegetables, deer, and all kinds of things I definitely did not understand before starting this.
I cannot promise the garden will be a success. I can promise you will see what I buy, what works, what does not, and probably a few things I absolutely should have researched before ordering.
Can a complete beginner actually use it?
I am not reviewing gardening products as an expert. I am reviewing them as someone who is literally learning how to do this while doing it.
Is it easy to understand? Does it make gardening easier? Is it worth the money? Does it survive my family, my yard, and apparently the neighborhood deer?
And most importantly... Is it Chaos Approved?
See What I BoughtThe Beginner Garden Starter Kit!
These are the things currently entering our beginner gardening experiment. Click a product to see the details, my review, and where I bought it. Some links may be affiliate links.
Raised Garden Bed
I bought this one...and then found another one. 😂 The biggest challenge may not even be growing the vegetables. It may be keeping the deer away because apparently our yard is also their maternity ward.
Kitchen Compost Bin
The compost can thingy that lives in the kitchen. 😂 This is where the food scraps start before they make their way outside. We are learning what goes in it, what absolutely does not, and whether composting can actually help us waste less food.
Big Outside Compost
Apparently it does not need dirt, and it has two sides. One side is ACTIVE. I have decided the other side will be called BREWING. Is that the technical gardening term? Probably not. But we are going with it.
Garden Bed Cover
D is for deer, the female deer. R is for RUN because she is going to eat my vegetables and I am going to chase her. That did not rhyme, but you get it. 😂 I have not bought this one yet, but protecting the veggies is clearly going to become a thing.
Credit for the man who puts up with me.
Shopaholic
We are very far from rich, but I occasionally spend money like we are. In my defense, these purchases are supposed to save us money in the long run. Somehow he still does not say anything.
The Side Eye
"What ya doing?"
"On Amazon."
"Why?"
"LOOK AT THIS!"
Insert side eye here. Then another "Why?" Yet somehow, he still
lets me continue.
It Started With Eggs
He comes home to an egg carton full of empty eggshells. I tell him not to throw them away. Then I start explaining my new compost system and slowly watch him realize that I may have completely lost it this time.
I may earn money if you buy something.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This website may also contain affiliate links for Amazon and other retailers. If you purchase something through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate link or not, the goal of Chaos Approved is to show you what actually happens when a complete beginner buys this stuff and tries to use it.
If the garden bed is terrible, the compost tumbler makes me crazy, or the deer somehow defeat everything I bought, you are going to hear about it.
A commission does not make a bad product Chaos Approved.
Can someone who sucks at gardening actually grow food?
That is basically the experiment. Follow along as I learn how to compost, build the garden, plant vegetables, fight off deer, figure out what I did wrong, and hopefully eventually eat something that actually came out of our yard.
Read the Garden BlogLet me put it through the beginner chaos test.
Brands and businesses can submit a request to send a complimentary gardening, composting, outdoor, or family garden product for an honest review.
Complimentary products will be clearly disclosed, and receiving a free product never guarantees a positive review or a Chaos Approved stamp.
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