Projects
Diana’s Tomato Refuge
Problem:
Diana loves tomatoes! But in the last couple of years she had experienced disease and decreased yields. With her busy schedule, her small garden was the perfect size, but she hadn’t realized how quickly the tomatoes would deplete the soil of nutrients. She also wished me to devise a solution to her “gangsta bunny” problem. Apparently this particular bunny loved to take naps precisely in her small lettuce patch. She hadn’t tried to put up a fence, however; how could she reach her plants if it was surrounded by a fence? A gate on such a small raised bed would be superfluous since she needed access to all four sides and had little room for a garden path inside since all space would be used by plants.
Solution:Since many tomato diseases are spread and exacerbated by poor soil, we replaced the old soil with new and devised a simple rotation strategy to help manage the health of her soil going forward. “Gangsta bunny” was foiled by the installation of a fence – but my simple roll-up/down design still allowed easy access to the tomatoes. Finally a small “path” of bricks allowed additional access to the interior, delineated the two growing areas for annual crop rotation, but limited soil compaction and maximized planting space.
George’s Garden
George plants seeds.
Goal:
George wanted a vegetable garden! George’s mother Amy like the idea of less grass to mow and was willing to put in a vegetable garden for George, if it could be made in such a way that her busy work schedule could still allow her to care for it.
It's all yours George!
Design:
A simple U-shaped raised bed allows a soaker hose to run down the length for easy watering and a minimized planting area for easier weeding and easier soil quality maintenance. The large pathways provide easy access for wheelbarrows and will be thickly mulched for weed prevention.
A fence and gate are built. Come on in!
