Dear Spring, I am so anxiously awaiting your return! But glad I have another two-three months to prepare for your arrival. I guess maybe a bit long depending on the groundhog day we have this year? LOL
Anyway, just wanted to post pictures of our progress. Please note this is probably not the way some people would accomplish this task, but it's how we're doing it because it's what we have to work with and I refuse to be defeated! We WILL succeed in gardening in our front yard which is where most of our open useable property is located.
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| Someone got a brand new egg collecting basket, since we'll have more chickens in the spring we needed a larger collection basket. Plus this one we can actually bleach out even though the wicker basket was quite cute! |
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| As you can see those 36 brown IGA grocery bags I've been saving up is being put to good use helping me sheet mulch my future spring bed area. Reused since they biodegrade and stay out of my trash can wasting expensive trash bags! |
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| I put white lines so that my husband can read my mind on the outside! LOL But those leaves sitting over to the side are going to be the 3rd layer in this layering process, so I'm excited to get this sheet mulching down first. After the sheet mulching paper/cardboard, etc I've put a deep layer of straw and soaked it down. I'll add more of straw and wet it down really well. Then it's going to be covered in manure. Then I'll cart all of those breaking down leaves in the leaf corral and spread them on top of the manure. Ultimate ending up with a top layer of top soil. I'll let the chickens out of the coop at the beginning of Feb to eat any buggies and stir up all that good stuff and help break it down.Also will pull black plastic over at some point until we're ready to plant to keep that grass and weeds from sprouting. |
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| Here You can see that I have future plans for a summer garden exactly like my spring garden. Exact process to begin over there when I can get that swing moved up at the front of my house where I sit and watch my garden grow and chickens scavenge around. I'm putting a straw bale garden around the perimeter for extra gardening space and extra materials that will be breaking down through the seasons. As they have broken down I'll use a pitchfork and toss the composted piles of past bales into the gardens when they're finished and let the chickens turn them in and eat buggies they find hiding in those piles. | | |
I'm soaking down the new straw bales so they start heating in the center and begin the breaking down process. I've got to sprinkle some blood meal on top in a few days to add nitrogen to help speed up the process. I'm thinking two straw bales wide all of the way around the perimeter. You can grow non root crop vegetables and vegetables that don't have deep root systems on top of bales. So I'm going to try my lettuce, peas, swiss chard, kale, etc on top of the bales. And I know I'll have to install drop irrigation because I've read that straw bales tend to dry out quicker during the warmer times.
In the back yard I'll still be gardening raised bed stile. The front yard I'm gardening raised soil garden style and straw bale gardening style this year. I learn my learning as I go, so failure or success it's a learning experience that's far more valuable that most realize!
Get out and grow something with and for your family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a good article and pictures of how someone else lined up their straw bale garden.
http://www.growandmake.com/straw_bale_garden
Well that's all I have for now, headed to go sit by the fire with my family and warm this cold gardener hands up!
,ijustwannagrow
