Expanded Garden Project 2021

Before

Stump removal

Filling the raised beds

Laying weed mat

After

One of our goals for 2021 was to relocate our garden into a bigger space to free up the current garden area for the greenhouse we plan to build later this summer. Below are the steps we took to prepare the area for the new expanded garden – you could follow these same steps if you wanted to do a DIY garden yourself!

Step One: Identify the area for your new garden – this should be an area that gets plenty of sunlight. It does not have to be level, although, that is ideal.

Step Two: Clear the area of any growth or grass. The grass can be dug out or smothered using cardboard or weed mat. Our area needed to be cleared of invasive plants – primarily holly, ivy, and blackberries. During the clearing of the area we uncovered three large tree stumps that were hidden under all of the overgrowth. We rented a stump grinder for $225/day to remove the stumps. We were able to remove all of the stumps in one day and it created wood chips which we ended up using around the raised beds in the new garden.

Step Three: Determine if you want to have your garden in raised beds or in the ground. We tested the soil in the area (see my post, Agronomy 101) and determined that raised beds would work best. I decided to try these new durable fabric beds for 2021 – this is an experiment and I hope they work well. I got the fabric beds in three different sizes; 15 gallon, 50 gallon, and 100 gallon.

Step Four: I laid out the fabric beds in the garden area and then started the process of filling each raised bed. I first put a sand/soil mix on the bottom third, then a steer manure in the middle, sprinkled in a 16-16-16 mix (see my post Agronomy 101), and then topped the final third with a planting soil mix. I let the beds “sit” for 5 days before transplanting in my seedlings. Ideally, you would let the soil sit for 2 weeks but my seedlings were desperate to get out of the trays. To fill all of my raised beds I used one yard of the sand/soil mix, 30 cubic feet of steer manure (so just a little over one yard), and then two yards of the planting soil mix. I got my workout shoveling and moving all of the soil!

Step Five: Once the beds were filled with soil I covered the walkways and open areas with a weed mat. I decided to do this since the invasive plants we removed are very persistent. I then spread the ~5 yards of wood chips that were created when we used the stump grinder.

Step Six: We dug out five deep holes for the fence posts and door and used a quick concrete mix to set the foot bracings in place. We have a lot of deer in our area (we live in a forest) so a fence is required. Once the concrete was set we drilled in the fence posts. Using small hooks and a heavy twine we created a “fence” so deer cannot enter into the garden.

Step Seven: Plant your garden! This is the best part of the process of course. This year we have spring onions, chives, a bed of wildflowers, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, poblanos, tomatillos, strawberries, zucchini, green beans, sugar snap peas, and two beds of sweet corn. Most of these seeds are from my Mom and to see them grow and flourish brings me so much joy. I know there will be a bountiful harvest ahead.