Led Up the Garden Path

After two long days of weeding, the garden looks like it was planned this way--neat raised beds and grassy, green paths.

It wasn't.

Let's go back to the beginning.

This plot was supposed to be plowed last fall. That never happened. The grass and weeds grew up and it was finally bush-hogged, plowed and tilled mid-May, looking temporarily gorgeous but hiding lots of weed seeds and grass roots biding their time and plotting a coup.

But I had 50' x 80' of dirt--the biggest garden I have ever had-- awaiting my pleasure and I was eager to get plants and seeds settled.

I toyed with the idea of planting conventional rows. I really did. Seemed like it might be easier--crops in neat, straight rows, just till up the weeds in the paths. But I don't have a tiller and I couldn't draw a straight line to save my neck. And when I started putting in tomato plants, they begged to be tucked into beds. Who am I to deny the hopes and dreams of tomatoes? I laid out the first bed.




I know this looks like rows but, really, it's a 4' wide bed.



As long as the tomatoes were in a raised bed, I figured I'd go with the flow. I dragged a hoe up and down and the whole dang garden ended up being divided into six long beds.

Garden in beds with the bit of mulch we managed to scrounge up.

Now this was starting to look like a Cindy garden--raised beds and deep mulch.  like always, the problem of weed control in the paths arose.

At Woodchuck Acres, we lucked upon several sources of free woodchips. I can't begin to count the hours we spent shoveling this mulch into the pick-up truck and then unshoveling into the garden. It sure did look nice when it was freshly laid.

Actually, I couldn't find a picture of fresh mulch--you'll just have to take my word for it that it looked great!

Here at Skillet Farm, we don't have road crews willing to drop off wood chips and we no longer have a truck (or the energy to fill it). I pondered and puzzled what to do with the paths. Finally, indecision, being busy building a sheep barn, and hot days gave us the solution: nice, grass (well, crabgrass) paths.

I'd like to say it was conceived as a natural solution, a détente with weeds. They got the paths, I get the garden beds. I'm afraid they didn't sign the accord,  however, and continue to invade the vegetables. My hoe and I will keep up the good fight, draw demarcation lines around potatoes and zucchini.

We will not yield!