Dirt Farmer

Long, long ago, when we were first starting our farm, Karen said she wanted a garden. Being an ardent carnivore, I promised help as far as it could be done from the seat of my tractor. As a child I grew to hate weeding with a passion and began to hate the gardens that produced them. So, we tilled a corner of the field, fenced it off with electric and planted everything under the sun. The only thing that came up was some raspberry shoots from my Great Grandmothers garden and those were quickly devoured when the sheep figured out that the power had gone out (I have a suspicion the goat had a hand in this). Karen was heartbroken but for me it just reaffirmed that gardens suck....time and money and energy from you.



Yeah...I did it. And the next time you plant I'll do it again.

Now, don't get me wrong, I would gladly have a fresh juicy whatever from my own garden than some pesticide laden junk from the supermarket. That has been the driving force behind most of our farm plans. But, I just never really enjoyed the garden much. We were also lucky to have a friend who grew an abundant garden that kept us fully stocked anyway. But, when we moved back to New Hampshire, other than some free zucchini, we were on our own. It is rumored that the only time people lock their cars here is when zucchini is in season because friends and neighbors will sneak in and dump a few bushels without your knowing. After a season with a regular garden where Karen came into her gardening prime, as well as years of fencing experience under our belts, we decided to make a garden that was user friendly. Enter our raised beds.



Just like that!

We decided to make our raised beds taller than normal. Advantages- you can sit on the sides comfortably so no bending over to weed. Also, deeper soil to grow in. Disadvantage--more lumber and more compost. We ended up doing 6 raised beds and were very pleased with the results. Some lessons that we have taken away are that spreaders like pumpkins, watermelon and squash should have their own area on the ground or a separate bed. We also keep horseradish, rhubarb, garlic and other recurring plants or overwintering plants in a traditional garden bed. If a really harsh winter hits, the beds don't retain heat because of their exposure. While I may not help much on the weeding, I do get into the spirit by planting seedling and watering- you know, Lazy farmer stuff.

Yummy!