Garden Questions

I finally got my third raised garden bed installed last night! We are having "cooler" days this week--below 100'-- and no visiting family, so I am able to get out in the garden to work more.

I have had a couple of questions about my gardening methods and will answer them here, in case someone else was wondering, "Why did she do it that way?"

First question: Why is the straw in the paths so thick? Answer: I have a major problem with bermuda and nutsedge, and both are very

aggressive. My husband and I initially removed the bermuda and nutsedge, digging it out. I laid down wet cardboard and thick layers of wet newspapers, then put thick "leaves" or "flakes" of straw on top. This is to prevent the sun from feeding the weeds, and help smother whatever weed seed might be there. The really thick layer of straw is "watered" each time I water the plants, and it softens and compresses down, making it harder for weeds to grow. You can see how high the straw is on the far side of the second picture. The straw in the third picture was the same way just a couple of weeks ago. I have been

removing the nutsedge that is persistent in the raised beds, weeding every couple of days. It is not difficult--10 minutes a day!!--to keep them out.

Second question: Why is the soil in the beds so low? Answer: I will be improving the soil and building it up as I grow my vegetables. Right now I am not mulching because I am getting the nutsedge out, and it is easier to remove the weeds without the mulch. Soon, the nutsedge will be finished and I will start building the soil up! (This is sustainable gardening--not depleting the soil, but improving it naturally). You may notice in the third picture where the "weeds" are coming through the mulch, but that is not the case. It is just some of the hay seeds that have sprouted. When they are a little bigger I will pull them out and lay them on top of the straw, giving me more mulch! It is really easy to pull out as it is just in the straw and not in the ground.