Update on hay beds

Hay bed with young winter squash.

This is a semi-permanent hay bed, right after the insect cover was removed this past week.   It is planted mostly with acorn squash, although there is a gap toward the back, followed by three hills of butternut squash.  The butternut squash vines will fill the gap.

Winter squashes (acorn, butternut, pumpkin) do very well in the hay beds here.   I try to keep enough hay beds maintained so that I can move things around a bit, and leave some hay bed space fallow each year.

The hay beds are semi-permanent.   One year, I accidentally sold the last of the mulch hay, before renewing the hay beds.  I had to let the hay beds go, and start them over when brought in hay the following year.  Hay beds are great for weed control, but they do need new hay added once or twice a year.

It all worked out, because I added manure and some rock phosphate to the overgrown beds, turned them under with the cultivator, and put down new hay sections.    The bed in the picture was turned over last year, and planted again for the first time this year. 

I have a few cabbages in a raised bed this year, and they seem happy there.

Happy Independence Day.