I was given permission to expand my plot about 15 feet to the east. This area is overgrown now with 10 foot weeds and a couple small buck thorn trees. There are also several good sized stumps and rocks to deal with. I'm looking forward to a couple hours of working on this today, before the rains of Hurricane Hanna come through over the weekend.
I'll work at this project step-by-step, and hopefully get to Step 2 today.
Step 1: Pull up all the weeds, remove rocks. I'd like to remove the tall weeds an extra 5 feet, too, and have a mowed grassy path around my garden. The way the weeds are now shades my garden too much. I'll figure out the stumps later.
Step 2: Mark out the edge where my fence will go.
Step 3: Add as much compost as I can find, hopefully 2-3 inches. Add lime. Turn this under. I'll collect a soil sample later.
Step 4: Seed the garden area with a cover crop. I think I'll use clover, maybe mix in some rye grass. Seed the path area with grass seed.
community plot expansion project
Wow! That'll give you like 200 sq feet more?! You'll have to make a new plan! We heard that we're 3rd on the list for next year and are very excited. I drew up a tentative plan here:
ReplyDeletehttp://pics.livejournal.com/svetlana3k/pic/00013bp7/
Hi, I really like your blog and I'm looking for inspiration. Would you document with photos your work in the new space?
ReplyDeleteThanks. Sandra
How exciting to have all this new space. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra,
ReplyDeleteI'll do my best to post about what I do in the new space. Its a very wild area and I'll be very happy if my methods can give ideas to others gardeners.
Today my arms are raw and sore from being scratched by an abrasive weed (Japanese hops) that is all over our community gardens. Ouch. I spent a an hour at the garden and pulled another few feet of weeds and piled them onto my compost pile. I had hoped to accomplish more. Oh well. Its a fairly big project...
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your plan. Nice link. I was wondering what you have between the onions and beets? "tatery" Potatoes?
I love imagining how a garden plan will look. I hope you get a good plot!
One suggestion I have. Make sure the beds that are against the edges are narrow - half the width of the ones that can be accessed from both sides. I have had trouble getting into my beds along the edge and will reduce the width of these next year.
Also, if you get a plot at the exterior of the gardens and plan to grow vines up your fence, make sure to remove the weeds for several feet outside the garden. I wish I had done this around my garden earlier in the year. I never imagined such vigorous weeds!
I can't wait to hear what plot you get. But April is pretty far away.....
How exciting that you have more land to work! I bet your hands are raw and muscles sore. I wish I lived closer so that I could help, with the work of course…and maybe with the consumption. Enjoy…I will be looking for pictures of the progress.
ReplyDeleteI will have to move houseto get a bigger vegetable plot ...Already planning for that :O)
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I recruited some help today. My 15 year old son. I love seeing those young muscles put to work!
ReplyDeleteI'll post photos of our progress soon. But we're still just pulling weeds so its not too exciting yet. You still need to use your imagination to see the potential of this piece of land.
I had to pull out all my motivation skills to make the project sound as exciting to my son as a computer game. I don't think I convinced him at all, but he did learn that Japanese hops is a really nasty weed.
Kathy-
ReplyDeleteYes, "taters" is what the plan says (poor penmanship!) - I stuck them in at the last minute because of some presumed extra space, I grow them here at the apartment as well in a homemade bin that's multi-layered - instead of hilling them up.
I don't have very long reach so I planned for the edges to only be 2.5 feet deep in to the fence, I hope it'll be sufficient, or I'll be pulling peas from the outside!
My only real hope about the community plot is that I don't get one too close to the woods.
April's far away, but the seed catalogs will keep my spirits up!
Yes, its time to start thing about the seed collection ...
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