ACL Letter #6 - Putting in our Garden.
Latest Podcast Talks About Putting in Our Garden
I recorded a podcast to share my thought process while putting in our garden. My intention was to give some insight into how I think and to show how simple putting in a garden can be.
I had three primary considerations:
Where would the garden get the most sun?
How do I keep the rabbits and Moose out?
What do I do about the soil?
Some folks want a raised bed to garden in. That is understandable. But raised beds aren't necessary to get started. Below, I added some pictures that were taken during the install. If you have any questions, send 'em my way!
I had to build a fence to keep the bunnies and my dog (Moose) out. I put some stone I had at the base. I did this to make it easier to keep it clean around the base of the garden and give me a few extra inches of height.
The grass you see is NOT fescue. I said it was in the podcast by mistake. Majority of what you see is Dallis Grass. A weed in most lawns. It fits well in my eclectic, diverse yard :) I simply weed whacked it down as close to ground as possible before adding soil amendments.
In this picture you see where I added some pitiful, gravel infested soil because I needed to level out the ground a few inches. The soil was what I had and was mixed with some gravel that was leftover from a patio project. I regret using this soil. The soil is fine... Not great, but itls fine. What's annoying is the gravel that got mixed in. I will be picking little stones out forever now.
Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the compost and peat moss that I added before the leaves. It was close to 1/2 inch thick in most places! I covered the soil with leaves afterwards.
October '20 - I planted the garden after letting it sit for close to a month.
**Unlike in this picture, I now keep the mulch pulled away from seedlings now. I wait until they are well established before spreading the mulch back around the base of plants. The main reason for this is pest issues. Slugs and pill bugs love the mulch cover. By keeping the mulch away from my seedlings until they are established, it helps keep these bugs at bay.