VEGETABLE GARDEN 2020

So this summer, after two years of hay bale gardening which was really successful - we decided to take all that great composting material and clean up the garden and put in some permanent raised beds.  We wanted to start using all this great soil and compost we had created.  However, with Covid and not having access to our normal nurseries we were going to have to get our plants in a different way.  We had set up a seed starting station in the basement but we finally were going to get to use it.  Tim had a huge library of seeds and since we weren't going anywhere - now was the moment to try it.

The garden had to be completely overhauled.  Breaking down the bales that had still  not decomposed and moving the decomposed material along with top soil into the beds and into the tires.  Don't knock the tires. They are great containers for a garden. We use them a lot for potatoes cause you plant in a stacked tire container and when you want to harvest you just lift the top layer and pull the potatoes out of the soil.  Cinder blocks and pavers are heavy and hard to haul.  So we are still in the process of bringing more in and setting up the permanent raised beds.  The pavers are so solid and great to sit and lean on.  The beds can also be adjusted, lengthened and modified as you see fit. The worst part about the hay bales was that they attracted a lot of snakes.  Snakes must like the moisture, texture, and shade of the decomposed bales but it was a little unnerving finding snakes everywhere.

The garden looks much more organized and permanent and less messy without  the bales falling apart.  The garden is looking great, the seed station worked out great and we move into phase 2 of our vegetable garden and we are very excited.