WEEK 10: Garden Plots

According to ‘the master plan’ we have a TONNE of work to do to make our back field of grass and weeds into something that is ready for seedlings. We had some awesome weather this weekend, and its been dry and we had some company in Marianne’s sister being down for a few days; so we went out into the field and marked out where we thought three of the new garden plots should be.

 

We are also planning for a substantial part of the back field to remain somewhat natural, with large sections being left to wild grasses or planned to be supplemented with native wildflowers, and a fair sized brush pile to provide shelter for birds and other critters that decide to make our yard home.

 

With the garden plots marked out, Aaron took the riding lawn mower and knocked the grass down along the paths and in the garden plots. The deck on the riding lawn mower doesn’t go very low, so after the bulk of the cutting was done, he took the push mower with the desk set low enough to be pushing dirt with the front edge, and cut the grass down as short as it could go.

 

 

The original garden from last year in the foreground, and the new fields and the path leading to them in the back.  What a fun way to spend a nice spring like day!  Thanks Charlene for your help :)

 

Next, once the weather gets a bit more fair and some new growths shows in the field, he'll be using our backpack sprayer to kill off all the established weeds in the garden plots with some Round-up.  Rather not use commercial spray if possible, but the back field has a decade or more worth of weed and weed seed, and this is about the most effective way to give our plants a head start in the new plots.