So here we go! It started with a plan....
2 of the fence post up, and 3 huge wood piles burned on the ground.
Next comes the pine needles and some Texas cane we needed to decompose. We added wood ash on top of that.
Then came wood chips, lots of wood chips. Thankfully we have a wonderful friend who works at a saw mill and could sell us the wood chips for a good price and he also delivered!! talk about good friends! Then we let it sit and stew for about 2 months.
little plants!! Notice there are no weeds:)
This is a zucchini plant thriving. We have dusted it with diatomaceous earth to prevent squash bugs. That was one major con of this kind of gardening, the squash bugs love it! I learned from my mistakes and have done some successful companion planting this year and the squash bugs are nowhere to be found!
Wow look how its grown!!
Here are the pumpkins, they eventually took over the whole garden!!
#babypumpkin
So in conclusion
PROS: weeding is a breeze, they come up root and all, they don't come back.
You never have to water, the woodchips act as the perfect drainage system. It holds water and disperses it to the plants as needed, and it drains easily in flood like conditions. Every time I turned back a half inch of woodchips, i could pick up moist chips. I think I watered twice that summer when it hadn't rained in a couple of weeks.
planting is super easy
did i mention about the weeding?
Cons: the squash bugs love to live between wood, and I've just created the perfect environment for them! doi! As mentioned above, companion planting!
Root crops don't do well in this soil, at least they didn't for me. I am no expert gardener, and somebody was pulling my carrots (thinking it was grass, haha don't you love life!)
Moles also liked the garden, but they like any kind of garden I suspect. Thankfully I've got a good hunting dog to dig them up for me!!
Glad to share with you!
This post received a 4.9% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @jessamynorchard! For more information, click here!
Hey hey! Are you following @mericanhomestead? Zac and Jaimie are on that channel sharing their goodies. Also, @foraging-trail is a good one that you will probably like. They share good accounts, too.
@papa-pepper is probably the most famous gardener/homesteader on the platform, also.
So much good stuff on Steemit, Brooke. I'm so excited you're here to make it even better. Love you so much!!!
I did find @mericanhomestead and im loving their exclusive content!! It's been quite fun figuring out the forums and getting to know new people! i loved your post highlighting things on steemit!! you are so amazing jesso @jessamynorchard
I was already following @mericanhomestead and @papa-pepper but am now following @foraging-trail and YOU @tiredmama, all thanks to @jessamynorchard!!! She's the reason I'm on here!!! Pretty neat how she brings people together, yeah?❣
YOU are Cool Stuff Curation's featured New Steemian! Thank you for being awesome!
This is so cool!! Thanks so much for sharing my content!! Hope to be able to keep it up!!
Nice! I like seeing garden setups from the beginning. We want to convert our garden to this soon. Looks like it's working out great for you!
I also want to invite you to the SteemitHomesteaders slack community. It is a chat room/group of sorts where a lot of us Steemit Homesteaders hang out to chat, ask questions, and just get to know each other more. You don't have to be a homesteader to join. Anyone into homesteading, gardening, farming, prepping, and such is more than welcome. Here's a link to my announcement post with a little more details about slack and the group as a whole.
https://steemit.com/steemithomesteaders/@greenacrehome/announcement-steemithomesteaders-slack-community
See you around!
great post! Following! I have 5 truckloads of mulch I need to move to the garden but no time or help to move it all... soon! Winter is coming so we can do it then I guess...
Lasagna gardening is the best. Each year mine just gets better and better. I finally am able to plant root crops, now that I've built up a fat soil base. You're right about those squash bugs though. I also use DE and some neem oil when they get bad. And just like you, the biggest advantage for me has been moisture retention. I live off-grid and have no garden hose so watering is a big concern. Not so much with this style of gardening.
Awesome suggestion!
Your zucchini crop is looking healthy!
I have to say the pros outweigh the cons for this type of garden.
Awesome post, @tiredmama! Keep up the good work. 😉
Now that looks like a great garden! Awesome layout of your story line ;-) great pics just sweeten it up... Any issues with fireants? Yup I shared this!
we dont have many red ants here in missouri, what we do have are very small and prefer the dirt from the road or driveway. i used to live in georgia and those ants were nasty! the size of dragonflies!! thanks for your comment, i was trying to make it appealing to the eye! And thanks for sharing!!
That is great that they are thriving with no extra water. And you only have to weed once and they never grow back? That is amazing. Your dog is so cute. Don't forget to enter my Dog Names Contest/Giveaway! :)
It's really neat to see you here and will enjoy following your posts. There looks to be a LOT of pros to using woodchips. Thanks for sharing! Just curious, are the wood chips treated or un-treated?
what breed is your dog? She/he is beautiful!
she is great dane mixed with boxer, german rot, and bull mastiff. she is my pride and joy!! thanks so much!!
I thought I saw Dane! I have a great Dane too! Mastiff was my second guess! She is gorgeous!
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STOPI love the use of wood chips! Really great post, I am hoping wood chips will help give me food through the drought we are having! I wish we could get wood chips for free in South Africa delivered to our door :) Thanks for sharing.