24×20. ~3ft wide rows. 10 in paths between.
It’s pretty clay-full but after a light till, I think it will be ok. I’ve sent off foil a soil test to know what amendments to add.
The back row will have drop string trellises for tomatoes and Cukes.
Any other staying words of advice?
I have tomatoes started indoors that are getting their first sets of true leaves. Starting peppers tonight probably.
by GrumpyGardener1312
9 Comments
What’s your plan for vertebrate pests? Deer/rabbit/groundhog etc? It’s usually easier/cheaper to plan and install physical barriers like fences before you start sticking plants in the ground. What pests are your neighbours dealing with?
I would mound your rows higher with topsoil. My natural soil is also clay rich and things will not grow in that. I keep at least 6 inches of topsoil in my beds, but honestly if you can do 12 that would be even better. It will take a few years of mixing clay with new soil to get decent soil texture.
Clay soil will recompact pretty rapidly if you didn’t till in some compost or sand or something. If you’re going to go the no-till route moving forward invest in a decent broadfork, makes a world of difference if you have clay.
3’ rows are on the larger side, may find it hard to reach things in the middle without stepping into the row.
10” paths are on the more narrow side, you may find it hard to do what you need to do in a row that narrow.
I run 30” rows with 18” paths, making one row and one path 4’, which I find to be a good balance between row width and path size.
Make sure your back row is the northern most so your tomatoes and cuckes (this autocorrected to fucked lol) don’t block the light to the rest of your garden. Look into a small fence to keep critters out. You’re not the only thing out there that prefers veggies over grass.
Other than that, have fun!
The overall soil quality is looking a little rough but we all start somewhere, besides that they look like some solid rows. I’ve been broadforking my clay the past few days getting ready for spring.(lower AL)
Hey, I have really similar looking soil and started in a really similar way. Clay mound in rows. It worked, but adding organic matter was really important. Like waaaaay more than I thought was reasonable. Otherwise the clay would dry out and compact really fast.
I added hundreds of pounds of organic matter. Finished compost was tilled into the mounds, and unfinished compost/wood mulch/leaves/grass clippings have just been layered on top, no-till style.
Look to see if your city has free compost you can pick up and just make regular runs. For at-home composting, used coffee grounds from shops and grass clippings compost quickly when mixed with mulched fall leaves. Just pile it all up in a 3′ or bigger mound until it gets hot, then turn it every few days until it cools off.
I use grass clippings in the summer and leaves in the fall as mulch. By the next year it breaks down and adds to the soil.
Holla if you wanna see progress pics or hear more about my journey in heavy clay, zone 7/8.
Here’s my starting point:
https://preview.redd.it/ehmiru4efphg1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9078c719c6204f1ece275dfa2967b11b4c535850
I love using rows, it makes amending the soil much easier as it basically cuts the area you need to amend by half and helps with the drainage. I choose to do no-till on my rows to help biota and soil quality
The grass between rows is going to be an ongoing issue, especially if it’s Bermuda or similar with runners.
I’d rethink things – a 10″ path is far too narrow – how are you getting a wheelbarrow etc down those without impinging on the beds? Sure, you can now when there are no plants but in the middle of the season… Hell even you are wider than 10″. Think 24″ or even a bit more.
Soil test is a good move. Don’t till more, broadfork and keep building soil health over time. I linked this in another comment but what the heck – this is a good resource [https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook/d9z5gkf1bbnhu0w5xxb3trngiqhwgo](https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook/d9z5gkf1bbnhu0w5xxb3trngiqhwgo)
If you were designing this now I’d consider bisecting the entire area with a path about halfway to avoid having to walk around the entire beds to get to the other side but you can always live with it this way and adjust next year
id build poles around it and put netting for thieves