Little beds and larger beds

Small beds in front of the house

The idea of having some little vegetable beds in front of the house has gotten going.

George has been looking after the bed on the left in the picture.   The bushy-looking plant is horseraddish, which he planted.  In the fall, the horseraddish will be dug up, and garlic will be planted.

Today, George and I added a small raised bed (4 x 8).  George built the frame, mostly of cedar, and it is pretty.

I dug down inside the frame, and added some lime and rock phosphate.   George added all the vegetable peelings, egg shells, and coffee grounds that we've been saving the last three weeks.  Then, I put down a temporary weed barrier of hay sections.  We're going to use this little raised bed for the rest of the season as a compost pile, then see what we still need to add in late fall.   The goal is to have a little bed where we can grow some lettuce and spinach in the early spring, under a low tunnel, before it is possible to get into the larger in-ground beds to the side of the house.

Bed #1, looking toward other beds

I also started bed #5 today, which is one of a series to the side of the house.   In the picture above is part of bed #1.  Bed #2 can be seen beyond, and bed #3 runs along the fence at the back of the picture.    Beyond the fence, in an area of the pasture we've been mowing the last 5 years, are beds # 4 and #5.   New bed #5 is unusual in that it is only one width of the tiller wide:  6 feet by 61 feet.   Have a feeling that bed # 6 may be similar but over a bit.   I like grass paths.

What about weeds from hay mulch?

A lot of on-line gardening resources recommend using straw rather than hay for mulch in a garden because of potential weed problems.  I wanted to say a word about that.

Hay growing.  June, 2008

 "Straw" is what is left when the seed head is removed from grains.   So, there is oat straw, wheat straw, barley straw, etc.   Maine doesn't grow much grain, although some determined folks are trying to address that, which is good.   Maine does grow a lot of hay, and people have been using hay in their gardens here for a long time.

Straw may contain seeds from the grain crop or weeds, but there usually should not be much.

"Hay" may include very little seed or a lot, or something in between.   Hay can be made up of very few plant species or many, depending on the type of hay, how it was managed, the time of year it was cut, and the field or even the part of the field from which the hay came.

Hay is usually less expensive than straw in Maine, at least when bought from the farm.

If a good, very deep hay mulch is used in a garden, it will smother most weeds.   I used a deep hay mulch in a garden I kept years ago, because it reduced the amount of time I spent weeding.

Not all hay is the same in terms of seed load.   If you are looking ahead to the day you might remove the mulch and want to garden without it, or turn over the ground in a wide area, then it makes sense to pay attention to the seed load in the particular hay being purchased.

Hay cut very early in Maine, such as in May, will usually have relatively little seed.   The seed hasn't had the opportunity to mature yet.   All other things being equal, May hay is often also higher in protein and more expensive because of its value for feed.   But, it still may be less expensive than straw, and is likely to be locally grown.

The earlier a "first cut" (first cut of the year) occurs in a given year, the lower the seed load.   A good "second cut" from the fall will also likely be lower in seeds.   Less second cut is available than first cut, because some acreage is only hayed once a year.   Second cut hay tends to be more expensive than first cut unless it is being sold as mulch hay.

If you talk to the local person who actually grew the hay, then he or she can tell you approximately when the hay was cut.    If a lot of people in an area brought in first cut hay late in a given year, so you can't find earlier cut hay, it is likely because weather conditions did not allow an earlier cut that year.

Hay is a standard garden mulch in Maine, and it can work well.   Expect to pay a bit more attention to it than to very clean straw, but expect to buy local and pay less.     

In the garden, add more hay mulch to thin spots when you notice them, such as where a weed pokes through, and add a new thick layer of mulch in the spring.  

Note:  we sell hay, although mostly feed rather than mulch hay.   Some of the mulch hay is bought by folks with gardens.   Fun reading:  "Ruth Stout's System", Mother Earth News (2004).

Update

George and I started haying later than we ever have, with a very wet June moving into a very hot July.   But, there is now feed hay in the barn for sale.   Whoo hoo!

The garden is doing pretty well in spite of the weather.

Potatoes, bush beans, onions....

I used more mulch hay in the garden this year than in the past, and will see how that goes.  Used it in paths, and for the potatoes.

Most of the squash plants have been having a rough time with cucumber beetles this year.  But, the zucchini below got to spend time under insect netting.

Zucchini

 The nasturtiums are pretty, even before the flowers come out.

Nasturtiums

Spider and Ruth at Side of the Road Farm in Brewer, Maine have begun a blog.  Please check it out!   Spider has a big garden and farm stand, and has helped me with advice and encouragement.

Bit of hay

Looking toward small cut area (just beyond small tree)

It would be great to cut some hay in May, but our field's heavy clay soils rarely are dry enough for heavy equipment in May.

George and I would like to get most of our first-cut haying done in June...or maybe by the end of the first week in July.   This was a very wet June, so no hay.

On Friday, there was a 40% chance of rain in the forecast for Saturday night.  Normally we would never cut hay with that kind of forecast.   But, there was nothing better in the 10-day forecast and...this is getting nuts.

So, we cut a small area.    We like to do a small initial cut, because it gives us a chance to check out the equipment. 

Chances were we wouldn't get this first bit of hay in given the forecast, and if we did it would be only good for mulch.

George and I got very lucky, it never rained, the humidity today was low, and we go in a little feed hay today, Sunday.   That is a short curing period, and we needed to ted they hay twice to help the drying along.

Not much brought in, but if it stays good, it will be part of the hay for the sheep next winter.   Well, maybe.   When I cut the ground was softer then I like due to recent rain, so I have to hope the hay doesn't go musty.   Those are the risks.   I think it will be ok.