Hi! I probably know some of you from the BackYardChickens and SelfSufficiency sites, but this is my first time over here.
I live in Colorado, where there are lots of weeds and little water. So now that I've decided to have a large vegetable garden, I figured I might need some help!
I've started a no-dig (aka "lasagna") garden in my side yard. Layers of newspaper and cardboard, straw, and good compost soil. The thickness of newspapers and cardboard at the bottom should kill the weeds, a necessity since the ones in my yard have THORNS. Ow! And the layers should help hold water so it doesn't evaporate so easily. I'm hoping it's a win-win situation for me, since I really miss fresh vegetables.
The garden right now is 6 x 15, and I will attempt to double that in the next couple weeks. It's back-breaking work! I'm doing it from scratch. The straw is fresh, but the compost has been creating itself for a couple years now, I always knew I'd use it for something and it feels GREAT to have done that! When I dug it out of the bin this weekend, some of the worms were HUGE - close to two feet when stretched out.
I'm going to plant a little bit of everything this year, as far as vegetables go. At the end of the season I should know what types work for me and what don't, for growing and storing. Next year's garden can be more targeted.
I already plant tomatoes in containers, strawberries and carrots in the flower beds, and cucumbers along the fence. But now I can look forward to corn, lots of leafy greens, beans and peas, potatoes and pumpkin and squash, etc. YUM!
I think that's it for my introduction. I'll be reading all the posts here, and asking lots of questions. Thanks for being here!
DianeS
I live in Colorado, where there are lots of weeds and little water. So now that I've decided to have a large vegetable garden, I figured I might need some help!
I've started a no-dig (aka "lasagna") garden in my side yard. Layers of newspaper and cardboard, straw, and good compost soil. The thickness of newspapers and cardboard at the bottom should kill the weeds, a necessity since the ones in my yard have THORNS. Ow! And the layers should help hold water so it doesn't evaporate so easily. I'm hoping it's a win-win situation for me, since I really miss fresh vegetables.
The garden right now is 6 x 15, and I will attempt to double that in the next couple weeks. It's back-breaking work! I'm doing it from scratch. The straw is fresh, but the compost has been creating itself for a couple years now, I always knew I'd use it for something and it feels GREAT to have done that! When I dug it out of the bin this weekend, some of the worms were HUGE - close to two feet when stretched out.
I'm going to plant a little bit of everything this year, as far as vegetables go. At the end of the season I should know what types work for me and what don't, for growing and storing. Next year's garden can be more targeted.
I already plant tomatoes in containers, strawberries and carrots in the flower beds, and cucumbers along the fence. But now I can look forward to corn, lots of leafy greens, beans and peas, potatoes and pumpkin and squash, etc. YUM!
I think that's it for my introduction. I'll be reading all the posts here, and asking lots of questions. Thanks for being here!
DianeS
I gave up the weed fight (and the gopher fight) and built raised beds this year. 
