In parts one and two, I wrote about building the new garden. Part 3 was about creating a Hugelkultur Raised Bed style. In April, I also discussed my planning.
The real work waited: moving in the soil and filling the beds. The truth is, I had to do a fence before this; had we not had one up, it would have been far faster. But that is the price one pays for having some of the first beds planted and growing, and keeping deer out.
Peas and Bok Choy.
Middle of September. The first beds were filled, and three of the beds were being used to grow food.
14 cubic yards delivered from Maryland, just across the river from us. A rich blend of mushroom compost garden bed soil. It is from a Mennonite-run nursery.
Slowly, the beds are being filled, one Gorilla cart load at a time.
There were good rains this week, which helped the soil settle into the branches below, and showed us which beds needed more soil.
We also pulled all the 5-gallon grow bags out of storage and filled them. They will be ready in the spring to start planting. But also as a backup for soil. I don’t want to leave the soil leftover, sitting out on the lawn, where it will go to waste. Better to fill up bags and have them ready to use.
When I bought this raised bed kit on sale for just $100, I didn’t think about its size. I almost didn’t have enough room, but then we tried it out in front of the gate – and it fit in nicely, and still allowed access to the other beds. The trellis is quite high. But it is bolted to the bed frames for durability. It wasn’t too hard to put together overall. Our youngest son has built all 16 beds.
These are deeper than the other beds. So we added plenty of wood.
And on the other side. Better to do this and let it slowly develop into rich soil.
As the work winds down.
Side angle view. The final beds need soil added.
If you are wondering why I chose raised beds for this new garden, there are a few reasons.
One, we have groundhogs here, and I don’t need them digging up the ground.
Two, I am not getting any younger. It’s okay to want to do less actual work. Build once, top off the soil every year or two. Don’t deal with tons of yearly work.
Three, I appreciate the lower maintenance and ease of gardening, which allows me to continue my other hobbies, such as camping and hiking. I don’t have to till the land over and over, nor spend days weeding with a hoe when it is 80* out.
Four: We have numerous rock seams on our land. It is more work to figure out where to put everything and deal with the seams that are hidden under a thin layer of topsoil. It is also farther away from the house.
But the biggest reason is planting density. It uses less water and produces good crops using square foot gardening.
~Sarah
