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.

My New Garden

This is how it all began! One month ago my husband, Dave, and I placed the boxes. They are lined up together, although not exactly east and west (they fit the space better this way).

I thought I would start with the smallest box first, because I really wasn't sure what I was going to do. I dug out a bit under the wood, wet the soil, and placed soaked cardboard under the frame. This is to discourage the bermuda and nutsedge, which can be pretty persistent, especially along the edges.

I overlapped the cardboard to make sure there were no spaces where the weeds could get through, and I wet the cardboard, again. I added some organic compost, mixed it a little with the soil underneath and watered it.


Next, I put down large "flakes" of straw to cover the cardboard. Straw naturally flakes off of the bale. The thick layers are pretty compact. I watered the straw well to help start the decomposition, which will make it even harder for the weeds to see daylight = no food for the roots = death to the weeds!

This is the first box, the small one, all finished and planted. I did this one Tuesday evening and it took about 2 hours.

Last night I installed the second box, and it also took 2 hours. This box is 4' x8'. The black trays are to discourage kitties from using my "box" for their own purposes! Once it is planted, they tend to stay away (I have 3 cats, plus one that thinks this is a great place to live).

Raised Beds

My garden is looking nice and lush these days! The warm weather we have been having really makes things grow. You can see the squash is now covering the spinach completely, although the spinach is sending up it's flower stalk and will soon be rising above the squash leaves. You can also see that the chard (the red peeking out, on the left side of the squash) has been taken over, too!

Lest you think that my whole yard looks this good, I will show you how the rest of my raised beds are doing. The only thing in them is one dozing cat---I don't think she liked her picture taken! Soon I will transform these boxes into productive vegetable gardens!