The Garden

For several years we have been part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) over the summer months that provided weekly boxes of fresh, organic veggies.  However, the CSAs in this area are much more expensive and since we now have a yard of our own we thought we would try our hand at a vegetable garden.

It didn't take us long to discover that the deer pose a serious threat to just about anything that grows (and a few things that I would consider inedible) so in addition to having to try not to kill our own plants we have to make sure that the deer don't have a chance either.

Andy ordered a deer fence setup online and installed it around the garden this weekend.  The garden itself was a weak attempt at a no-till or lasagna garden.  Our soils here are rocky, not very well drained and with all of the tree roots we didn't want to till the ground.  After a visit by my mom which included a Home Gardener's seminar we decided that our soils are just too wet and that raised beds were really going to be our best hope for a productive garden.  One of the presenters at the seminar recommended some fancy (read expensive) wood types for the frames, but in an effort to save some money we went with pine 2x10s.  It's certain that they will eventually rot and need replaced, but we were willing to give it a try.

 

Original garden with deer fence.

 Cutting the boards for the frames.

 Some of the frames in place. Kodak had to help too.

 Screening the topsoil/compost mix on top of the bed and using some of the endless wood chips from our tree removal to create the paths.

 Making lasagna or adding some layers.  Soybean meal, newpaper, leaves, dirt, peat moss, and more screened dirt on top.

 Hard at work.

The almost finished product.  The dirt was still a bit too wet and we ran out of peat moss.  Three of the beds are ready for planting and hopefully we'll get the other three done this week.