Since the snow melted in the Cascades this past April, I’ve been working on installing a veggie and flower garden in our backyard. For years, before we bought the home, this area of the property was a dirt patch that had been used as a parking area. The ground was severely compacted and had also been sprayed for weeds for sometime. I was determined to bring it back to life, and started with a huge dump truck load of garden soil and compost from Curb Appeal. I wanted both raised beds for veggies, as well as an in-ground pumpkin, squash and corn patch and flower garden. Bringing in lots of soil and compost was essential. Since the ground was so compacted I felt with raised beds I could at least count on getting some kind of crop this year. The squash and flower garden was going to be an experiment though for sure, since they were being planted in the existing ground, which was a very sad case indeed. I tilled up this area and added lots of wheelbarrow loads of compost, and while things are growing, it wasn’t as fruitful as I had hoped. I know each year will get better, and I’m trying to be patient as the soil improves. Here are some early photos from April when the snow melted, raised beds were in construction, and the compost was delivered.
This is not a tutorial per say, just what I did at my home and what made sense for my space! I hope it helps as you plan or add to your own garden.
Below is what came to life this summer:
Four raised beds:
I purchased 2x12x8 rough cedar boards from my local hardware store, and created four 4×8′ raised beds, for veggies. I used the 8′ pieces for two sides, then cut one in half to get 4′ long sections for the short sides. I screwed them together and used a 1″x4″ rough cedar board to make a trim piece along the top.
I filled the bottom 6 or so inches with sticks, pine needles and leaves, following the hugelkulture method, and topped with 18″ or so of garden soil and compost.
Below is a photo of the hugelkulture method, before I added the soil and compost. I layered cardboard, then twigs and sticks, leaves, and pine needles.
Two corrugated and painted beds:
These are from Vegega. They are a very pretty cream color and add a fun element to the garden. I did the same hugelkulture method, and planted tomatoes and raspberries in them. My hope to add two more of these, for strawberries and marionberries next year.
Drip system:
I’d previously laid a lot of drip line in my other gardens using the DIG brand from Home Depot, so I decided to go with what I was familiar with for the raised beds and pumpkin/squash patch. I feel like it works well enough and I can easily get spare parts. I’ve also heard great things about the drip tape from DripWorks. For the flower garden I used a 1/2″ soaker hose, connected with regular hose. I’m not sure if I can recommend it yet – I need to get through a winter and see if it holds up. I may end up switching to the drip tape in the flower garden. All of these lines are set on a 4-zone timer, and each zone ran once a day for 30 minutes.
Deer fencing:
Installing a deer fence was necessary in our area as there are deer frequently roaming the neighborhood. I used 4″x4″x8′ posts on the majority of the garden, spread every 8′. Along the back of the garden, we used 10′ posts, as will put a trellis along the top 2 feet in the future to grow vines and etc. For the actual fence, I purchased 5′ fencing from Home Depot. A six food fence would have likely been better, as I do have a gap along the bottom of the fencing, but I had a hard time finding what I needed in my area. I also don’t have a rabbit problem (yet!) so I wasn’t too worried about the gap along the bottom. We rented a post hole digger from Home Depot to dig 23 holes. Then we tamped the posts in by hand using a very heavy tamper (not something I ever really want to do again, friends. But, it was an amazing arm workout!). We did not use concrete to set the posts. We dug 24″ down and then tamped the posts, and they are very sturdy. After the posts were tamped, we rolled out a 5′ tall x 150′ long bundle of this fencing. We hammered a staple to each post to initially get the fencing up and then went back and secured it with more staples. For the rails along the top I used 2″x4″x8′ lumber and along the bottom, I used 2″x6″x8′ (a bit taller pieces). These rails finished out the look I was going for on the fence and makes the entire structure more stable.
Gate:
I made one gate, which you can find many DIY instructions for online, depending on what style you are going for. Mine is a simple gate with a diagonal cross support and a hook and eye closure, using the same wire fencing for the main fence. I had never built a gate before, so if I can do it, you can too! Below are a couple photos of the process of my gate building.
Compost:
The newest addition to the garden is a three-cavity compost bin. I am very excited about this! You know you are nearly 40 when you get stoked about a compost bin! Ha! I am very grateful for this bin, as my generous neighbor gave it to me. She is a woodworker and built it to include pull off lids (to keep the bears and other critters out) and front panels for easy access to the compost for rotating. I just began filling the first cavity today, so wish me luck!
Seeds and Starts:
I’ve been growing from seed for years (and still haven’t quite perfected my system), but let’s just say I use a mix of starts I’ve grown from seed, plus I always take a trip to our local nursery to pick out some nice healthy looking seedlings as well. I feel like the key to growing your own starts from seed is getting enough light on them so they don’t get leggy searching for the sun. Below are a few of my trays.
After a summer spent getting the garden going, it’s now the end of September and nearly time to put the garden to bed. I’m thankful for an amazing growing season (tons of sun!) and for the kids and I being able to harvest food right from our back yard. There is truly nothing better than sending the girls out to the garden and seeing them fill a colander with fresh produce, making bouquets of flowers or even just being out there with me while I weed. Thank you for reading and may your garden GROW!
