Garden 2016 Start

This year's garden includes a new bed started last fall in the lawn area out back, a new bed out front by the road and an expanded area by the house out front. I added compost I created with kitchen waste, veg waste from MOC, leaves, coffee grounds and leaves from the city. The lawn areas got lasagna composted last fall with layers of veg waste, coffee and leaves, with the paths getting dug out and leaves put in to let them rot. I added another lasagna bed next to the one below to get it started for the fall. I think in a couple years I will really have all this down and know when to get stuff planted and maybe even get starts started at the right time to be ready when the last frost day hits.

Looking forward to seeing what God does with my hard work. More to come.

South Lawn bed, starting to put the cedar sides around it.

Pollinator patch by the French Doors on the south side of  the house. Including Shasta Daisys from the back fence, black-eyed susans, poppies, marigolds along the front, and sunflowers throughout.

Poor mole who has been digging up my garden beds this winter with his family. Caught this one by hand when I turned over the railroad tie in front of the compost bin.

Part of taking out the front section of the overgrown Shasta Daisy patch. Potted up a bunch of them for the Master Gardener Sale but not many of them sold.

The south lawn beds with sides in place and filled with compost, dirt and fertilizer, ready to be planted.  I started the shelling peas about a month ago and planted broccoli and peppers after this was taken.

Front yard bed I put behind the day lilies at the road; for the melons and squash. I used the old shower walls from the bathroom to create make-shift cold frames. Seems to be working since the squash are starting to show sprouts.

New Surrounds for the impromptu bed I made last year for the bush beans. Planting lettuce, kale and chard.

Spider I found under a pallet in the backyard when I was cleaning up the next area. Big guy, probably about 3-4 inches across.

Weeded the whole area by the blueberry raised bed in the back which was thick with overgrown weeds and quackgrass.  Then moved the piers over by the fence, off the "spider" pallet on the left which was in front of the day lilies, to the right of the wet spot.

Original raised beds with over wintered lettuce and some volunteer potatoes and garlic in the back; need to get the beets planted in this bed sometime soon.

Center original raised bed, with left over garlic in the front there, Three rows of carrots on the left, a short row of raddish before the 2x2 and onions on the right. Built up with BioLive and about 4 inches of compost this year.

West original raised bed.  Has chard and kale of various varieties and the overwintered onions I didn't take out last fall.

This is the New lawn bed that I started last fall with the one on the left, but didn't have enough to really make a good bed.  I also didn't dig this one down into the dirt like I did the other one. I just put cardboard down over the weeds and grass that were growing there and piled two layers (this is the second layer of veg waste and the start of the second coffee layer) of veg waste, coffee and leaves on top with the fence boards there to hold everything in before I get the cedar sides done later this summer or fall.

That same bed tucked in with coffee bags and ready to make dirt and attract worms until Fall, when it will be planted with a winter crop of lettuce, kale and chard; maybe some beets.

Overall view of the lawn area, with the strawberries that are a month early and still a little weedy, the pile of decking I really want to get on the deck this Summer (earlier rather than later), the lawn garden beds, Aimee's last rose bush that is falling all over itself and my fence panel potting bench/work area by the house. Oh and my tarp covered new 3 bin compost area that I just made this late Winter/early Spring; I can't seem to find any direct pictures of it.

The original garden area after the rains today.  Yay, I don't have to water for a couple days.

And the peas are doing great after a month of growing.  I got about 90% germination rate with the end of that first row having the most trouble. Oh and a few volunteer squash that came up from the cold compost I added.