Garden Dreamin'

Spring is peeking around the corner!  We've made lists, started seeds (or planned which plants to purchase), and now the time has come to assess our garden bed situation.  Whether you’re looking to add a new bed or two, or starting your very first garden, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which route you want to go.  So let’s discuss a few options!

Most folks are familiar with two main types of garden beds: Traditional tilled garden beds, and raised garden beds.  Tilled gardens are amended yearly with compost and/or manure, and turned over fresh at the beginning of each growing season.  This style of gardening is widely used, and can be great for large -scale endeavors.  Raised beds are store bought or hand-built containers filled with soil.  This is a great option for the backyard garden, as it eliminates much of the hassle of weed control, and allows you to choose exactly what goes into your soil. 

But have you heard of no-till gardening?  For this type of garden, soil is built from the ground-up, without disturbing the delicate biology of the earth underneath. Utilizing materials that most of us have access to for cheap or free, no-till gardening methods are easy on the wallet, and give us a really big bang for the buck or two we do have to spend on them.  

One such no-till method is called Hugelkultur, a traditional German style of gardening.  This method consists of building a large mound from rotting logs, sticks, dead leaves, compost, and other organic materials.  As these materials break down over time, they create a biologically rich and nutrient-dense soil.  Crops are planted directly into the mound, which retains water nicely to keep plants hydrated. This method of soil building can also be used effectively to fill those big raised beds on a dime--a practice the author has used with great success over the years.

If the idea of no-till gardening tickles your fancy, we have a fantastic “Learn To Build Hugelkultur Raised Beds” class coming up at North Georgia Homestead Supply on March 9th!  You can find out more information at www.northgeorgiahomestead.com.  Whatever your gardening style and needs, we are here to help with supplies, classes, books, ideas, and encouragement.  We have everything you need for success, from broad forks and tillers, to compost and seeds.  Stop on by and chat with us–we look forward to helping you grow your best garden yet in 2024.  - Bess Miller