Fall is the time to prepare garden beds for the spring.
As you know I set up some trellisses this past summer and I grew some plants as an experiment, knowing that I wouldn’t get any harvest off them before the first frost. (Actually I did and I was thrilled!)
The frost, now, has happened. The gardens are done but I am not because, now, it is time to prepare these gardens for the next growing season.
As these trellis gardens grew this year, I had time to reflect on what I wanted them to look like next year and I have a plan. I envision climbing beans and cucumbers, etc, on the trellises, with some flowers growing in the middle sections. The flowers will attract beneficial insects and, hopefully, repel the detrimental ones.
This will be the next phase of this trellis experiment. I won’t know what works until I try it, but that’s gardening!
Prepping The Garden Beds
Remove the current container gardens.
Lay down cardboard.
Create sides so that the soil and mulch don’t go through the trellis wires. I split the grow bags that I had used this year and used them to line the garden sides. The grow bags will allow air flow but will contain the flower beds within the trellis area.
Add soil. I just reused what was in the bags. I’m using what I have available.
Add some pond plants from the fish pond. These should provide some good nutrients to the soil.
Spread a layer of leaves on top for mulch.
Put something on top to help keep the leaves from blowing away until the rain has them compacted and secure for the winter.
I have two more trellis areas to prepare and, then, I can sit back and wait till it’s time for the spring work to begin.
