Since I harvested the last of the overwintered spinach on Thursday, I decided Friday was a good day to redo the bed before all the weeds and bolting spinach were pulled.
This bed is made from some bricks from a walk that was taken apart. They aren't laid down with any kind of foundation, but just put on the surface. Over time the soil from inside the bed sinks.
And the bricks start slowly falling into the bed which leaves gaps on the sides. So every couple of years I take them out and put rocks under them and put them back. It is a bit of a chore, but not all that hard. And I like the brick lined beds which are hot in the summer and grows my sweet potatoes and melons better than my wooden raised beds in the rest of the garden.
Plus I like the pretty circle pattern. Which I can't do in wood. As you can see I got rid of the bolting spinach and the weeds. I raked the soil smooth. Then I sifted enough compost to cover the bed. I like to add about an inch every year. Some years they only get a half of an inch which is what I consider the minimum to keep the beds healthy. Because I almost always have a real crop in the beds, I can't use things like cover crops. My garden isn't that big. So I make a lot of compost and leaf mold every year. Anything to get organic matter into the soil.
I love your circle garden! I've thought about doing something circular but just haven't had a chance. Your yard looks so clean ... any stones or bricks that I have generally end up with loads of weeds growing up. Embarrassed that I just let the weeds grow instead of dealing with them.
ReplyDeleteWell done! I always feel so much better with a clean plot!
ReplyDeleteYour circle garden is so pretty, I like the look of it.
ReplyDeleteYour gardens are pretty. I see you have about 4 wooden compost bins and a couple black ones. How do those black ones work and how do you put them to use? My spinach is starting to turn tan on the leaves, hasn't bolted but I am thinking the sun is too hot for it (do you think?) and will harvest as soon as possible. Nancy
ReplyDeleteYour last photo really emphasises your commitment to compost-making!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of a freshly cleaned up bed! I use a lot of straw as mulch, so my beds generally never look that pristine, even after I prep them for a crop - there's always bits of straw everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI like the circle too
ReplyDelete