By Meisha Turner
As we start the third year of building a garden at our home, we’ve definitely learned a few things along the way. Some things, we got right on the first attempt. Others… well, we’re still figuring it out. But, by now we’ve had a few opportunities to correct our prior mistakes and try something different, and we’ve found some solutions that might be beneficial to other new gardeners. So here you go: a few tips and tricks from someone who’s figuring it out right along with you!
- When planting a permaculture bed, make the bed way bigger than you think it should be.
Some of our first additions to our property were berry bushes and an asparagus bed, but we definitely put them either in the wrong areas or made the beds way too small. As the plants grew and spread, it became hard to control both their growth patterns and the bed itself, as weeds tangled around the stems in tight spaces.
This year, I’m working on enlarging the old beds and controlling the spread of our huge blackberry bush. And, when I added a new blueberry bush this month, I made a much larger bed that will be easier for maintenance in the years to come. A little bit more work now, much less work in the future!
- Make the right choices when planning for raised beds.
If you’re making your own raised beds out of wood, thinking about the future as you build will save you a lot of headaches later on.
- Make sure your bed design allows for boards to be removed and replaced easily.
- Use pressure-treated wood for more longevity in the high-moisture environment of your garden.
- Make the walls higher than your dirt level, so that you can easily dig and move the soil without it spilling over.
For our raised beds, we used 8 foot long pressure-treated 4×4 posts and 8 foot long pressure-treated fence boards. With a few quick cuts on the table saw, we had beds that were easy to move into place and that could be quickly repaired in the future.
- Use moveable shelving to create a seed station in the perfect place.
The first year we tried to garden using seeds, I had a terrible setup for sprouting! Despite adding several grow lights to my garden shed, it was just too cold and dark in early spring for seeds to grow.
This year, I got a flat-pack metal shelf and set it up in my laundry room. This room has two overhead lights plus a decently sized south facing window that lets in several hours of sunlight each morning. While this wasn’t the ideal place to start my early garden, using the metal shelves has been a perfect solution to provide the space I need in a non-permanent way. So far, this has worked with great success! Once the seed season is over, I can take the shelf apart and easily store it for next year.
Bonus Tip: Make watering easy by setting your seed trays on disposable, aluminum baking trays from Dollar Tree. I found packs of 2 for $1.25. My shelves hold three trays each and every tray holds eight 6-pack seed starters. Any spilled water just collects in the tray and can be absorbed by the dirt as needed.
Bonus Bonus Tip: If your seeds need more humidity to sprout, use disposable plastic cups to create a greenhouse.
- Just get dedicated garden clothes. There’s a reason old farmers wore overalls.
I used to be so worried about getting dirty in the garden. (I know, I’m one of the weird “Eww, dirt!” gardeners…) I’d carry the knee pad/foam seat things around to kneel on. My garden belt had a towel on it so I could wipe my gloves off constantly. It was a whole thing, and it took so much extra time and effort.
This year, I went to a bargain store (Gabe’s in Johnson City) and bought cheap clothes specifically for use in the garden, and it has been so much easier on my routine! Personally, I decided on scrub pants and plain tshirts because these items will be easy to pick out and separate from my regular wardrobe.
Now, I feel free of my self-imposed mental barrier towards getting my clothes dirty. I can sit in the grass, kneel in the dirt, and use my dirty hands to roll my sleeves up. And, I finally threw away the foam knee pad! It may seem silly, but giving myself the freedom to get dirty has made my garden work so much faster and less stressful!
Bonus Tip: Get the cute rubber boots too. Less stress over mud and more fun in the garden!
~Meisha Turner
