New Bed Prep

For the last several years, we’ve noticed a trend in spring bed prep here. Our heavy, wet clay, when prepared as we’d been taught— with tilling and compost and fertilizer in the spring, was costing us weeks of viable growing time during our already short season. What do I mean by this? —We were losing time by following the recommendations of other growers. If we dared drive our tiller or tractor into this field in the spring we’d risk getting stuck and do nothing more than severely compact our soil. We watched as temperatures warmed and the frosts past, but there was nothing we could do— the production field was not “ready” to plant. After committing to more dedicated perennial rows and seeing them through a couple of seasons, we saw that these beds grew healthier, bloomed faster, and were ready for additional planting as soon we felt the weather could allow it. We’ve now committed to moving almost our entire operation in the direction of dedicated perennial beds. We tuck some annuals in as well- the beds are ready to receive them and the annuals help fill gaps between perennials. The annuals grow larger and healthier than the plants we crammed into the “recommended” spacing for mono-culture beds anyways. We apply a nice thick layer - about 6 inches- of compost or compost-mulch material on top of our rows and we plant directly into that material in the spring. And then we use mulch for weed suppression until the plants start to really fill in. The goal is to fill the beds with plants that grow well together so that there is less available open space for weeds and so that each bead always has useful flowers blooming and/or harvestable greens. We’ve been celebrating the different combinations of plants as we learn what works well for us here on our farm. Let me know if you have any questions.