Double Diggin

The circle garden continues to grow.  Vinnie and Melissa here doin the good work.  The three of us de-grassed the two dark beds in one day.  By the time we were done with the 2nd ring, the method had been perfected.  As the circle grows so does our conciousness.           

The method is a combination of removing chunks of grass, and then double digging.  Double digging is a tecnique promoted by John Jeavons in the book How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine.  It is part of the biointensive system in which crops are planted closely together into raised beds and high yields are achieved on a small piece of land.  The French gardeners have been on to this for centuries, but Americans didn't catch on until the 70's.  The rings will be the biointensive raised beds that Jeavons writes about, and many worldwide practice.  The raised beds provide a fluffy medium in which the plants can easily spread their roots.  Beds are never walked on or compacted.  They drain and hold moisture better than flat, compacted ground.  They are dug deeply so that roots can grow deep into the soil, and therefore more plants can be crammed into a smaller space.  Beds are double dug by removing the first layer of soil, or topsoil, loosening the subsoil, and then returning the topsoil.  You are left with soil that has been worked to a depth of 2 to 3 feet, as opposed to the one foot that normal digging achieves. During sometime in the grass removing process it dawned on me...... while the chunks of sod were removed it would be easy to loosen the next layer... double digging.  Here is the process...

Strips are cut with the spade and removed onto the top of the bed..

The remaining topsoil is also removed.  You can see the contrast between the dark subsoil, and lighter subsoil.  The subsoil is compacted and hard, and it's this we want to break up

... no mercy on the subsoil



i'm doing a complete texturizing double dig, so shredded leaves, and a sprinkling of organic fertilizer are mixed in with the subsoil, keeping it loose.  The leaves will break down over time providing nutrients to plants, and fertility to the soil.  After subsoil and leaves are all mixed up, the topsoil we shoveled out is added back, and the rest is shaken off the grass roots.  

Just when you think you are done, think again.  Move over and start again.  It takes 5 to 10 minutes to do a 2 foot strip.  Once the whole bed is done we will mix compost and fertilizer into the top few inches of soil.  This method is very time and labor intensive, but it provides a very high quality space for plants to grow.  Making life easy on plants pays back in abundant harvests.  Take care of the earth and it will take care of you.   

   

Some creatures enjoying the unseasonably nice weather and pleasant garden vibes...

Tragedy and Triumph

Wild winds knocked over the mini outdoor greenhouse in a recent storm.  The tray of broccoli and the tray of kale on the top row weren't so happy. The scene inside the toppled greenhouse was messy and most of the seedlings didn't make it.

 All hope was not lost... A few babies did survive, and more seedlings were waiting in the flats to be transplanted.  A sad reminder that it's always good to sow more than you think you need.

36 cells, 36 broccoli seedlings left. I just love it when those syncronicities happen...



... To shed some light on the situation, some flourescent lighting has been added to improve the growth of the seedlings.  They are definately showing their thanks with lush, dense growth.

I purchased a 60 watt T5 flourescent light for $70 from the local hydroponics store

And the seeds just keep on popping up....

Breaking ground...

...And with a small prayer the ground is cut for the first time. 

 

It is a circle.  A 6 foot wide circle bed that will be the focal point of the entire garden.  Circles are sacred shapes and I saw my first circle garden at a very special place, Kaiwaka, New Zealand.  Ever since, I have wanted to create one of my own.  The middle of the yard just so happened to be the perfect size for a 3 ringed circle garden, with 2 foot paths and 3.5 foot beds (exactly how I would have made it anyway)  This diagram I found online will give you a general idea of what the garden will look like.  This one only has 2 rings. 

Heres how I did the measuring...

A string is tied to the center post and the radius' measured out on the string.  I pulled the string tight and walked in a circle, sprinkling flour onto the grass under the marks.  Once all the flour was down I could see where all the beds and paths would go.  I wasn't sure how I would transform the grass into garden beds, so I tried different combinations of tilling and pulling out chunks of grass and shaking off the dirt.  By the time the first ring was finished, I had decided that the tiller wasn't helping much.  The method I settled on was cutting out chunks of grass with the shovel, and shaking off the dirt back onto the bed.  No tiller, no tricks, 100 percent hand made veggie beds.  This method leaves me with a fine crumlby soil.  It takes a little more labor than the tiller method, but makes me happier with the results.  It also allows me to remove all of the wire grass roots.  Wire grass is the devil in a veggie bed.  It will spread underground and cause problems for years to come.  The hand shaking method removes 90 percent of the hated weed.  Luckily the soil under the grass has an amazing texture.  Not too sandy, not too much clay... a nice crumbly, humus filled loam.  I will definately be producing some top quality veggies using this soil as a starting point.  Thanks, dad, for growing luscious grass for the past 6 years!                   

   Marking out the directions of the paths... North, South, East, and West...

And in one day, the middle and the first ring are cleared of grass and mulched.  They are not finished, they will still have to be turned, composted, and nutrients added.  Until then, the leaf mulch will protect the soil from frost so the microbes can start doing their thing. 

Walla... a circle garden!