I was recently bit by the gardening 'bug' and so I am now beginning said hobby. To start off, I plan to have a few raised beds to grow the garden in. Gravel paths for easy accessibility, four-foot wide beds so that everything is in reach.
When constructing these, I wanted to avoid using any type of metal fastener to tie the ends together because of corrosion. The solution I settled on was really quite simple... A square hole set in from the ends of the long boards, and a matching tab cut on the ends of the short boards. They overhang the width of the cedar 2x2's I used to stake the beds down. It makes an attractive joint, and with the rock along the outside, I have no worries that it will move out of place.
After building a couple and setting them in place, they prove to be very stable. I did not bother with wood like cedar or teak for the sides due to cost. And I have learned that pressure-treated lumber, railroad ties, or using wood sealer, all have potentially negative affects on the surrounding soil, so that was not an option either. However at ~$5.50 for an 8' board, I can inexpensively replace these pine boards after several years if they should rot out.
Before putting the beds in I laid black plastic over the entire area. After staking each bed in place, I cut the plastic our from the inside and covered the ground with a few sheets of cardboard to prevent weed growth, but allow for drainage.
So far, I have 3 of them built. Only 3 more to go!
I decided to lay some gravel next the house to extend my existing patio in order and generally make it looks cleaner. Besides, it will provide some room for setting up some furniture and a bar-b-que for the summer. This backyard project is beginning to come together. After cleaning up a bit, it's looking good.
Well, I got tired of the using the shovel to break up the ground after a few rows. So I went to Home Depot and rented a large tiller. It was well worth the $65, and only took about 2 hours to complete. It broke the ground up well even though it has been raining hard for the last 24 hours. There were only a few spots where the clay was sticky, but overall it turned out nice.
I drug my feet through the soil to make the rows (lacking a proper plow) and planted a few more rows of corn and the rest in soy beans as a cover crop. I left a few rows on the end for some miscellaneous seeds yet to be decided.
This past weekend brought beautiful weather, and quite a few sore muscles. I rented a gas-powered sod cutter to remove the sod from the new garden area. Cutting the sod itself was the easy part. After figuring out the controls for the thing, it was not much harder than pushing a lawn mower around the yard. Then came the hard work.
Now I have this wonderful clear space, but it is too hard for the rototiller to break through on its own. I took a round shovel and turned over a small section of the dirt and broke it into smaller chunks with the tip. Now the rototiller seems to do a good job. Based on how long it took to finish even a small section, I can see that this will take quite a bit of time to finish the entire area. Or, I might try to locate a larger rototiller that can take a bigger bite.
All in all, it was a productive weekend. I even managed to plant two rows of corn!
Beans:
Summer Squash (Green):
The soil is medium clay and will need to be amended in order to be useful for a garden. I just began the process of removing the sod (turning it over) and afterwards I will add lime and organic material over the top. After a short while I should be able to till it in and the space will resemble something more suited to gardening.
I was recently bit by the gardening 'bug' and so I am now beginning said hobby. To start off, I plan to have a few raised beds to grow the garden in. Gravel paths for easy accessibility, four-foot wide beds so that everything is in reach.
