Vegetable Garden Pt. 2 updated
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five months since I shared Vegetable Garden Design Pt. 1, and during this time, a considerable amount has changed in the garden! Raised beds were built, fresh compost soil was brought in to enrich the earth (a whopping eight cubic yards no less!), a sturdy and quick fence was put up to protect the plants, and, of course, a variety of plants has now been placed in the ground. It truly is amazing how quickly time has flown by and how much I have accomplished in my garden this year.
I began the whole project by having the area thoroughly tilled and then leveled out somewhat to ensure a more even surface. This may seem like an unnecessary step, especially considering I built raised beds, but a fresh crop of stubborn weeds was starting to take hold in the untended soil. By turning over the earth, I was able to use the fluffy, loose soil as a helpful bottom layer of a couple of inches, which served to reduce the overall amount of compost and soil I needed to bring in for the raised beds.
Next up was buying the lumber to build the beds and getting 8 cubic yards of compost. As time was ticking away and I was trying to keep my total cost for the beds around $600, the original design underwent a dramatic downsizing. You can see in the two images below what I settled on for this year compared to my overly ambitious original design LOL.
Original Design Modified design, at least for this year!
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the outcome this year. I have already had a great beet harvest with which I was able to can 12 pints of beets, green beans with which I was able to can 14 quarts, and carrots with which I was able to freeze some matchstick cut for stir-fry and 7 quarts of canned carrots! We have also had tons of cucumbers from just one plant (I didn’t can any pickles as we still have some from last year). So far, my biggest surprise has been the single watermelon plant. We are currently at 14 watermelons. What?!
As the garden was finally planted six weeks later than usual this year, we are just now beginning to get a steady harvest of ripe tomatoes and vibrant peppers. That's perfectly fine by me, as I know good things come to those who wait! I think this fall I will make it a priority to purchase more lumber to build a couple more raised beds to accommodate the growing plants. The peppers definitely need their own dedicated space, as do the monster tomato plants that have taken over the beds. One thing I didn’t manage to get planted this year was a batch of potatoes, which will definitely be a priority for next season.
Additionally, some other projects are still in the works, including getting wood chips to cover the walkways (I am still waiting for that free delivery to happen). The other main project I’m currently focused on is building a sturdy wood pallet fence for the front of the garden, which will replace the temporary lattice that is currently in place. This will enhance the garden's overall look while providing a much-needed critter barrier!
I should receive my garlic bulb order within the next few weeks. Can’t wait to get those in the ground. Lastly I plan on seeding the area where the watermelon is with a tillage radish ground cover. Next spring I can chop, drop and till everything into the soil. I think this will a great way to add organic material and better structure to the soil. Well, that’s it for now. Happy gardening everyone!
Update: The woodchips for the walkways arrived! I spent a few hours the other day putting them down and have most of the garden finished. The walkway the tomatoes have grown over still needs to be done, but it looks fantastic! Check out the short video below.
I used a company called Chipdrop. This is a free service for gardeners to have woodchips delivered to their homes. It is a simple website with a tool to see if the service is available in your area. As I said, it is free, but you can opt to tip the delivery driver if you wish.
It is worth noting that you can’t be sure when you will receive a delivery. It all depends on the participation of local tree companies and their business. My delivery took a couple of months; however, I am pleased with the service and the amount of chips that were delivered.
