No great bounty should be expected the first year. This is the year for establishing the committee, gaining approval for use of the land, and building the garden from scratch. Some short-season vegetables may result in year one; the following years are when production really starts to happen!
Initial Tasks:
- Identify property boundaries, any buried services, easements, etc
- Conduct soil testing
- Gather materials:
- Stakes
- Stringlines
- Cardboard (lots!)
- Municipal compost
- Wood chips
- Rotted farm manure
- Herbicide-free straw or hay
- Cover crop seeds
- Watering equipment (depending on source)
- Tarps
- Handy equipment, to rent or borrow:
- Tractor or skidsteer with bucket and tiller (possibly a post-hole auger, if needed)
- Measuring tapes (100’)
- Soil probe
- Wheelbarrows
- Spades
- Rakes
- Mow the grass as low as possible
- Lay out the beds and paths. Mark all corners with sturdy stakes
- If existing soil is compacted, or is heavy clay:
- Improve water infiltration by punching numerous shallow (12-18”) holes in the paths and filing with wood chips
- Lightly till the soil in the beds
- Lay wet cardboard across the garden, beds and paths alike (This will smother the grasses and perennial weeds while the garden soil develops)
- Add 4 inches of wood chips to the paths
- Add a layer of straw or hay to the beds, and cover with a mixture of manure and compost, at least 6 inches deep
- Wet the beds thoroughly, and cover with tarps for at least a week
- Sow the beds with a fast-growing annual cover crop such as forage radishes or buckwheat (The purpose of this is to cover the soil,and feed the sold organisms as they begin to develop)
- Various vegetables can be transplanted into the new beds at the same time. Some will thrive more than others in the first year
- Build a compost pile with available materials
- Autumn work:
- Mow or flatten the cover crops and leftover vegetable crops
- Apply a layer of straw or hay to the beds
- Collect bagged leaves from around the neighbourhood. (Add water to the bags, and pile them up in a handy spot)
- Celebrate!
Next article: Year Two
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