Walking Continues

Our most important job as vegetable gardeners  is to feed and sustain soil life,  often called the soil food web,  beginning with the microbes.  If we do this, our plants will thrive,  we’ll grow nutritious, healthy food,  and our soil conditions will get better each year.  This is what is meant by the adage ”Feed the soil not the plants.”  ~  Jane Shellenberger,  Organic Gardener's Companion: Growing Vegetables in the West Two beds are done while the largest and a 30 gallon tree pot await. Leaf mulch now covers the area. Well, the raised beds were constructed (see Part 1) and a location decided upon. But because Bermuda grass is the pain that it is, I knew I'd have to dig the old turf out before even thinking about filling the beds. It made the most sense to dig out a large section of the lawn - larger than the area needed for the beds.  I knew I'd still be digging this time next year if it was up to me to do the digging. My good f...

May I a small house and large garden have; And a few friends, And many books, both true. ~ Abraham Cowley What to do with a small space, large wild garden, *#&$#^ soil, time, and a desire for fresh veggies....A raised bed is the answer!* Sure. This will be a simple post. But this is not a simple project. My recommendations follow: 1. Do your research and think about what will work best for you .  You can spend as much or as little as you want.  You have options for materials and such.  Many folks use recyclables and build their own wooden beds. I ordered a coated corrugated metal modular raised bed. Okay, who am I kidding? I ordered two that offered multiple configurations and extra panels & corners. [It was my Christmas present to me. I like options.] One of three boxes. It wasn't that heavy, but it was nice of the UPS guy to offer to put them in the garage and not drop them on the front porch. 2. Read the directions. Make sure all the pieces are there and d...