As with most things in life, our Victory Garden is a learning experience. Starting with a grassy knoll presents its challenges. Tilling was a lot of hard work. We tried two different methods to see which would work best for us. At the front of the property, we did three single lines. We quickly found out that we did not till well enough. The grass took over the center very quickly. Losing the center section was an early blow that I struggled with. We also misjudged the tree cover for the areas where we did work. Shade and slow plant growth was another blow. Being the first season, we knew there would be some learning. We did not have a lot of prep time. This means that our actions will have to be reactive, not proactive.
The second method we tried was working a big square. We tilled this area three different times. I was surprised by the number of rocks we pulled out of the ground. If we had more time, I would have liked to use a sod cutter to remove the grass before tilling. Our biggest challenge is the shade from the trees. The second challenge was weeds. The area is so large that even with dedicating time to weed, keeping up with the weeds is difficult.
Lucky for us, our city has a free mulch pile for homeowners. It is a “while it last” supply. The City has two simple rules. One: You must be a homeowner. Two: It must be loaded by hand. There are a few goals we hope to achieve with mulch. Those goals are controlling weeds, water conservation, plant protection, and nutrient addition.
Over the last couple of days we have seen how the mulch has protected the plants from harsh rain. As we dry out and the temps rise we hope to see how well the mulch does with water conservation and weed control.
