Tiki Tomatoes

My brother-n-law decided his tiki torches were looking a little run down and wanted to replace them with new ones. This is no small feat for him. I'm sure they show up in satellite photographs. Fortunately, nothing has tried to land from outer space in his backyard - so far. Anyway, I volunteered to take the old ones off his hands but not for holding tribal councils. My "contractor" (aka husband) cut off the torches for me. I then used the bamboo to build my mega tiki tomato cage. Can't wait to see these tomatoes grow up!

Potager Pathways

It is truly ironic that after posting about my BIG, HUGE pile of freshly chipped mulch that I fear I may actually not have enough! Well, I guess I have mulch everywhere and one place I started piling it on was in my potager. I became so tired of my lawn paths and edging and such around the beds, that I thought this might be an opportunity. Eventually, I would love to "pave" my potager with pavers - or brick or stone - or whatever new opportunity may come my way ... but for now, mulch works. Here's what I started with this spring ...

And here's my progress ...

I am using the same method as my "woodland edge" bed, but minus the overturned sod. I have read you should put seven layers of newspaper down but honestly, I didn't count. I just layered it on and then topped it with mulch. I have a few stubborn weeds sprouting here and there but the grass around my edges is dying and is easily pulled out now, roots and all. I figure it will take me the extent of this season to catch it all.

I redefined the flower bed along the fence. It has three distinct sections: wet prairie, sunflowers, and cottage/annuals (for pollinators). I will be sure to show you how it grows throughout the summer. I also added some new veggie beds. I figure throughout the years layering on compost in my veggie beds (that aren't raised), will eventually make them become mounded.

This is how it ended up this year. I now have a defined area for my potager. It feels much larger. I also feel as though I have "entered" the kitchen garden along my new potager pathways.

So Mulch To Do!

Soooo ... earlier this spring I had a HUGE freshly chipped mulch pile to deal with. And now, well, I still have a relatively fresh mulch pile to deal with - okay, maybe it's a little smaller. Honestly, I thought I would have this mulch pile tackled by now (eek).

There is much controversy over using freshly chipped mulch in your planting beds. The argument is that the breakdown of the wood chips results in a nitrogen depletion and turns the soil acidic which in turn depletes your plants. Newly chipped mulch should be aged and turned for at least a year. BUT, I have also read freshly chipped mulch is okay as long as it does not mix in anyway with the soil, that trees and well established perennials may be considered immune, though annuals and vegetables are definitely taboo. I would love to do a test but well, where do I find the time with all that mulch to move?

I have spread this mulch around my trees and shrubs - young trees and shrubs - and so far, see no ill side effects. I have also spread this mulch around newly edged beds of perennials without consequence. I have even smothered young perennials and they have shot up through the fresh mulch without harm - i.e. Lady's Mantle. I tried to smother some inherited Bishop's Weed on purpose hoping that the new mulch would do harm, but well, that Bishop's Weed is thriving *#!. My conclusion? Use freshly chipped mulch on your established perennials, trees, shrubs but hold back on annuals, vegetables, tender young plants and special specimens.

Mostly I am using this mulch for what is termed a "kill mulch." (With the exception of Bishop's Weed, of course.) This extraordinary mulch pile is allowing me to create my "woodland edge" bed without busting sod - whew. It is a large bed and by next spring, I hope to be planting in it. This season I will have to wait for the mulch to do the killing - of the grass (and weeds because my lawn is not perfect, but is shrinking). My method involves laying down overturned sod that I dug up from the potager for new beds, from newly edged existing beds, and from expanded beds in the front and along side the driveway. Then I layer newspaper (sprinkled with water so it doesn't blow away), and a thick layer of newly chipped mulch.

This is my target. The entire edge of this blessed chainlink fence. This is how it looked when we moved in.

And here is how the bed is shaping up so far ...

Here is the new bed as viewed from above. (The Spruce tree was planted two years ago.)

The bed will continue all the way up to the shed as long as I don't run out of mulch - HA HA! It will incorporate the newly planted Serviceberry tree (previous picture). I plan to add one to two more smaller trees such as a Redbud, and a variety of shrubs including Winterberry to create a woodland edge setting. There's mulch more to do!