Gardens

See how the gardens have changed between 2018 and now. 

Fall 2023 I cleaned up the area I used to grow potatoes and fenced in six new galvanized steel raised beds. 

I went with galvanized steel vs. cinder block (like the other raised beds) because they were on sale and the cost was significantly less. 

I used the hügelkultur method to fill them - logs and branches in the lower half, and a mix of pine wood chips and sand (the mound in pic below) on the top half of the beds. 

One will be used for shallots and potato onions, the rest for potatoes.

This space, in front of the raised beds, had been used for growing potatoes in bags set on top of pallets for a number of years. The first year it was 40 bags; the final year (2022) 300 bags of potatoes.

During 2023 I emptied the sand/pine wood chips from all the bags into a large mound and planted my potatoes in the mound (center in picture).

Honestly, this corner of the yard looked horrendous. The plan is to clean it up fall 2023.

The wood privacy fence was added spring 2023 around the large garden and eco garden. I brought home 40 pallets from work and supported them with patio blocks to prevent rotting and grass from encroaching upon the garden.

2022 Pallets were stacked in two rows, then fenced in, so there was a protected space for planting in bags.

In the pic: celery on left and peppers on right.

2022 large garden expansion.

Left: before picture plotting out the space.

Right: the completed fenced in expansion.

2021 The initial two raised beds were expanded, and a third added.

Before and after of the fall 2020 expansion in which I also converted from wood plank walkways to 16x16 patio blocks.

Every year since I added the patio blocks, the slug problem has dwindled. During the 2023 season I had absolutely no problem with slugs.

The "trellises" were also added 2020 - 10 feet tall fencing posts with one inch PVC pipe zip-tied to the posts.

Spring 2020 two raised bed were added. Sand surrounding them was to prevent slugs from getting in.

The hope was I wouldn't have to expand the large garden anymore. As witnessed above, that didn't happen.

2019 

Pic 1: Expansion of the large garden.

Pic 2: Expansion planted

2018 The large garden fenced in with chicken wire, which kept the rabbits out but not the mice. I have since switched to hardware cloth for fencing. 

As you can see, I was planting outside of the fence because I didn't have enough space inside.

2012-2017 the garden was 1/4 this size. 

Prior to that, the current eco garden was the main vegetable garden but the ground there is lower and borders a flood plane. During heavy rain there is standing water, so the garden was moved.