Now that we’ve made all of our garden beds with our recent dirt delivery, the fight against weeds and grass is in full-swing. I put the word out to a few local tree service companies that I am interested in a load of wood chips to use for our garden paths, but so far I’ve either been added to a long waiting list or not received a response.
As a temporary measure, I purchased twenty coffee bean sacks from the ReUse Store in Ballard. They are cheap (50 cents each), biodegradable, and a great weed/grass blocker that also allows water to penetrate.
I had enough to nearly cover all of the main pathways. I didn’t put any down at the main entrance of the garden because it’s already a high traffic area, so there’s not much green there already.
I also took the opportunity to start adding some stone features to the garden. The stone was another free Craigslist find–leftovers from a stonescape company that looked like treasures to me. Most of the stone will be used on the paths as places to step or stand, but I also added a few smaller, interesting pieces to some of the beds. I really want this garden to not only be functional, productive, and sustainable, but also visually appealing.
Now that the soil is in place, we’ve also started planting seeds, a few favorite plants that we’ve purchased, and any freebies we can find. There’s hardly a free plant that I’ll turn down, believing that you can always move or remove it later.
Shasta Daisies and Hens & Chicks
My favorite piece of stone.
Gotta have lilacs!
Rhubarb from a friend’s garden.
I got some daffodils on the cheap because they’re past their prime this season. But they’ll be great next year, and also serve as a nitrogen fixer and deer deterrent for the fruit trees.
Our lettuce, carrot, and snap pea seeds are starting to sprout.
Berm and Swale Homestead 