Fresh Start for the Vegetable Garden: Fall 2017 Prep

If you'd like to read about prepping for a spring time garden check out Part 2 of the 3 P's post.

If you've followed my previous post, you know that I had the joy of planning out my garden.  With the seeds sorted it was time to make it all happen.

The cow pea cover crop had really grown.  It took over basically everything.  Breaking it down was a little difficult.  We tried a couple different things.  First was mowing, which worked, but sort of jammed everything up.  That meant tilling it, as least while it was so fresh, was not an option either.  Honestly, as I was trying to conquer that big, viney, itchy mess I was starting to regret my decision.  Could this be worth the work?

So in my frustration I just pulled a bunch of it off the bushes and fence and just left it there.

Which turned out to be the perfect plan!

With the cow pea vines laying in a pile they started to die off which was perfect.  I decided to just let it break down for a week or two before attempting anything else.  When I did return to it, I simply worked section by section pulling up what little remained of the cow peas.  They pulled up incredibly easily and I was really pleased with the softness of the soil in those areas.

The vines themselves I mostly left where they were.  They would be a great mulch for my plants and would continue to break down as time went on.  However, there were A LOT of them.  So, I did toss some of them towards the back of the garden to smother the weeds that had grown where I did not plant a cover crop.

And now to planting

Midway through the re-homing process

Since I was starting from scratch now was the time to create the garden of my dreams.  I'd always wanted a garden that was both functional and beautiful.  Kind of like you see in magazines.  Wishful, but purposeful, thinking.

Sort of in the middle of the garden was a huge clump of garlic chives.  Tall, leafy, with fluffy looking white blooms, I had originally planted a few seeds next to some tomatoes for the purpose of companion planting.  The tomatoes passed on but the chives grew and grew.  Although they seemed very out of place now as the garden had shifted, I loved the beautiful blooms they have the fall.

It was decided to re-purpose them as a beautiful border along the fence.  I'd always wanted to do this and with a clean slate I finally could!  Over two days I moved them to their new home.
  

I've also always had a thing about rosemary.  It's said that if you plant rosemary at the entrance of a home or a garden that it keeps out bad spirits and energy.  Whether you believe things like that or not it seemed like the perfect place to put my rosemary.  So there it went, one on either side of the garden walkway.

These small changes made me so happy.  It was proof that I was finally becoming the gardener (and maybe person?) I'd always wanted to be.  I could work hard and have some of the small things that enhanced my life so much.  Kind of exciting.

Check back for more on what's going on in the garden.



What changes do you want to make in your garden?  In your life?  What does it feel like, for you, to finally do something you've been wanting to do?