Here's what the yard looked like this morning. With all the moving going on at work, I was able to get two book cases (7' x 35" x 16"), and my co-worker helped me get them home with her truck. I know, that's the fate of people with trucks, isn't it? I bought her a gift card to the gelato store for her trouble.I also got about a dozen moving boxes, which I cut into 2' sections, soaked in water, and put down (overlapping along the way) along the fence line and under where the raised beds would be. This is for weed control, and we'll see how it works out. The plants are supposed to have no problem penetrating with their roots, but weed seeds aren't supposed to be able to get through from the bottom. It was nice to have uniformly sized pieces of cardboard.
I knocked the plywood backs off the book cases with a mallet, and folded/broke them in half lengthwise to use like the cardboard, except I put them down on the sides of the beds as something for weed control on the paths. Not sure how this will work either, except that we don't get all that much rain here, so the mulch probably won't wash off of the plywood.
I also raked up leaves and stuff out of the yard, and put that in the bottom of each bed. You are supposed to be able to have a layer of non-composted compostable stuff, so I did. 
It's important to overlap the pieces of cardboard and also to have them stick out from under the raised bed- again, for weed control.
Almost two yards of soil/compost mix later, and the beds are filled. I had to go back to the store and get more mulch, but I couldn't rest until all the cardboard was covered up. The square thing in the middle is going to get a couple more layers of 4 x 4's and will hold raspberries. Maybe. If I didn't make things too tight back there. It was a concerted effort to make the pathways along the fence wide enough for my cart, and I'm glad I did. The pot is something that I'm planning on getting rid of, it was just to heavy to haul it off today.
The proud gardener! I gotta get me a new hat - that one makes my head look small...
WOW!! you got a STROKE of work done, but if the day was like it was here, not surprising. Finally nice weather brings out the beast in the spring!
ReplyDeleteI had some EBunny missions plus birthday and secret pal stuff to pick up and it too WAAAAAYY too long, but I got my mom rose bushes and while I was there, I picked myself up a pear tree and another blueberry bush. Here's hoping everyone makes it through to next year.. :o) Still want apples, but don't know that I want the varieties that were there yesterday. NOT delicious, for sure. I did see blackberries, but not raspberries. Do you have yours, or ordered them or just picking them up?? Japanese beetles reeeaaallly like mine every year, but they are just wild ones. Mostly just berries for the birds.
I hear you on the delicious apples - yuk. I'm still considering apples in containers, although I went to one of the nurseries in town and they had a bona-fide dwarf peach, about 3' tall and packed with buds.
ReplyDeleteI need to read what the local extension website says about raspberry varieties, and will probably pick one "ever bearing" and one regular one.
Those beds are gorgeous!
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