Garden Progress

I have been so busy with the garden that I have had no time to write about it. Now that she is fully planted-out I can begin to share some of the details of the techniques we have used. When we first moved in to our rental duplex the back yard was covered with layers of cottonwood leaves and old reedy and viney plant material from past gardening activity. I wish now that I had left all that wonderful carbonic matter and sheet mulched the entire area to plant into as Spring progressed. However, not being very familiar with that technique, I raked-up as much of the dry leaves and vines as possible and, along with some horse manure I attained free-of-charge through Craig's List and as much green material that I could find through the steadily warming days, made compost.

After several weeks I used the compost to amend our clay soil, creating vegetable beds rather randomly, or more hopefully by the quiet instruction of the natural space I was practicing to commune with. Some beds were dug, but the intense work started to seem to resemble a subtle facet of bio-dysfunction. Though my questions and apprehensions were preponderant to my knowledge and skill level in these matters, the information I was subconsciously seeking I stumbled into at a local coffee/book shop. Gaia's Garden practically leapt off the book shelf into my voracious page-turning fingers. In those pages I found detailed written instructions and diagrams for sheet mulching--essentially, layering cardboard(cellulose), straw, leaves, manure, green material, kitchen scraps, etc., on top of existing soil, allowing the materials to compost right where you plan to plant your vegetables, all WITHOUT DIGGING!

So from then on I have used this layering of carbon and nitrogen materials between layers of cardboard--beginning and ending with layers of cardboard and topping off with straw or wood chip mulch--planting directly into the mix by using a pointed trowel-type tool, whose name eludes me, to pierce through the top layer of cardboard. A handful of compost is added to the small hole made when planting-in the vegetable babies. Then the straw or wood mulch topping is pushed back in place around the base of the start. This method, like all permaculture methods, conserves water by holding in moisture very well--even in our arid Colorado climate--and creates what I like to think of as a loving blanket for tender young plant roots that protects from cold nights, scorching sun and wind, simultaneously releasing--at a much more natural rate than digging--essential nutrients for plants while actually building layers of rich soil! And all with free materials we already had in our yard and abundant by-products easily gathered. This is the first time in my life I have not bought soil for my garden. 'Tis a beautiful thing.

Here is a list of the food we are cultivating in the garden this year: potatoes, onions, black beans, edamame(edible soybean), corn, squash, tomatoes, three varieties of string bean, peas, asparagus, strawberries, carrots, beats, raspberries, blackberries, currants, cucumber, lettuce and field greens, two varieties of kale and spinach, celery, oats, buckwheat, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, garlic, artichokes, aubergine, hot peppers, fennel, holy basil(Tulsi), dill, basil, thyme, sage, parsley, chamomile, horehound, Gala apples, Italian plums