Location
Put your garden in a sunny, level spot. Don’t place it up against the edge of the woods because your garden plants will grow out and away from the shade under the trees. Plants are more aware of their surroundings than you might think. In addition, don’t necessarily place it in the lowest spot of the yard if rain collects in that spot. Most plants don’t like having their feet wet.
Fencing
Fencing is a must if you have animals that prefer what you grow to what God gave them to eat. Between the deer and the woodchucks, I would have nothing left if I didn’t fence. I used ten-foot 4x4s as my corner posts, dug down at least two feet with a post hole digger and each set in half an eighty-pound bag of cement. Eight-foot cedar posts are between the 4x4s to support the fencing so it doesn’t sag. Using a staple gun, I attached seven-foot, inch-mesh poly fencing. I usually buy 7×50 foot rolls of one-inch black poly mesh. The metal two-foot chicken wire at the bottom is because woodchucks (and rabbits) will chew holes right through the poly stuff. An option to fencing is a good varmint dog.
Raised beds
I installed raised beds (using 2×8 or 2×12 spruce boards) because the soil in my neighborhood is heavy clay, which turns to cement in a dry summer. I learned to not bother with corner braces. Three-inch screws in the corners of the boards are enough. I bought the original soil in the beds from a local commercial supplier. It has been amended over time by bushels and bushels of compost from the compost pile. In addition, grass clippings in the summer act as mulch, and these, along with shredded autumn leaves, get turned into the soil at the end of the season.
The grass between the beds was removed, and wood chips were put down as walkways. Any weeds that show up in the walkways are sprayed with a mixture of one gallon of white vinegar, one cup of Epsom salt, and 1/4 cup of original Dawn dish washing liquid. However, I don’t use this mixture in the beds because I don’t want the vinegar to drop the pH too low.
Next week, I will give some details about what I plant.
