I’ve been planning and plotting changes to yards front and back for a while now; more usable/beneficial/supportive produce/food from the garden, more efficient and convenient use of space and materials, aesthetics and “sustainable living”

I’m not sure I like that term; it feels inadequate, TOO simplistic and too general, and I’m a big proponent of the KISS method- Keep It Simple, Stupid. First, it has to be of some benefit. Then it has to fulfill the intended result. THEN, can we make it pretty, and how, and with what- if it starts getting too complicated, time to back up at least a step and reassess. You might be done. All of that plays into those considerations constantly as plans and ideas evolve.

The strawberries in the garden happened by accident; leftovers from hanging planters no one wanted, so we threw it in the garden just to see.

Well in case you didn’t know, those buggers are tough! They came back.  I didn’t know what to do with them, but we let them grow and that turned into a little strawberry patch.  Last summer was my first trying anything serious with them.

I saw for myself how easy they will spread and thrive, even with me doing almost nothing to them.  But this also became a problem. They were spreading places I didn’t want them to, and all of it was already interfering with the other side of the garden bed.

This photo is the new bed in place, starting to fill with base soil.  I’ve watched several videos and done some reading, and this is what I’m doing with this bed:

The space between that Mountain Ash and the 3 raspberry plants started last year was a pain in the arse- but the top half of a raised bed that is being lowered (I’ve found that anything more than 12″ soil depth is wasted with MOST of the common garden choices around here) fit nicely while also banishing my lawnmowing nemesis- that sharp dip at the fence in an awkward spot.

PRO TIP: (and a hint at future articles) part of my philosophy here is simply described as “If I can’t ride it, eat it or screw it, it doesn’t belong in the yard.”  Everything I’m doing is based on increasing practical use of the space we have space to provide as much edible product as I can, while keeping it neat and tidy enough to if it doesn’t necessarily benefit the neighbors which, if I think It can, I will) at least it shouldn’t cause them to think unkind things, and support or enhance native species- flora AND fauna.  Stay tuned.

To take up space where the bank originally fell off, some rocks, judiciously placed pieces of broken sidewalk pavers (I’ve placed them so they act both as a “wall” to contain the bed and stabilize the sides without stakes) left from another yard project, and some logs/punky firewood bits will do nicely.  Rocks, then green poplar left from some trimming last summer to start, as the greener wood will break down slowest over time, then the rest. 

I did it this way because as I see it, we’ve spent a lot of wasted time, effort and cash trying to block weeds.  Sometimes it has “worked”.  But as in all things, one size does not fit all. In this case, since it’s intended to be a permanent planting, between the aggressive growth traits of both the raspberries AND the strawberries, and the minimal effort needed to maintain the top soil, it won’t be a huge issue.  Time will tell, always.

I’ll pause here for now, since I need to finish the job, but I’ll be back with pics of the finished bed and it’s progress through the year.  Let’s see if I’m on the right track.

As with anything else you see around here in the Nest, if you have questions or comments please feel free to drop such in the appropriate places, or get in touch.  No worries.