I wanted to raise the level of the garden and replace the soil that I had hauled away so I had 25 yards of finished compost delivered from a local nursery. I prefer to make my own compost and was reluctant to bring in soil from an outside source (there is always a risk of introducing unwanted pests and disease,)but I needed a lot of it and the compost looked good. It was clean, black, crumbly, and had a rich earthy aroma. My goal is to add depth to the garden by building it up rather than by rototilling down. Deep rototilling disturbs the layers of the subsoil and brings up a lot of weed seeds that can cause problems later on. For the next several months, worms will continue to loosen and aerate the soil and bring up trace minerals from the subsoil which plants need in smaller amounts. By providing deep, rich, uncompacted soil my seedlings will have plenty of room to grow into vigorous and healthy plants.
Cost:
Compost (25 yards at $20.00) $500.00
Plywood (to protect lawn) $150.00
WOW!! Mom that looks good :)I dont know how you would have made all that compost sheesh thats a ton. It looks like you are making lots of progress...its going to look so great once some veggies and flowers are in there. We are going to have the prettiest and most interesting house on the block, thats for sure!!
ReplyDeleteWow, everything is costly. I love to see pictures of the process. It will be so nice to just walk off your porch into your very own garden and only have to deal with you :)
ReplyDeleteFarmer Jen:OMG
ReplyDeleteDidn't realize the intensity of effort it took to change grass into soil.You are a wonder to me!!! I am so outside my reality without a garden to work. Am looking forward to helping.