Keith’s Vegetable Garden

A beautiful and productive space

We ’re visiting with Keith Irvine today , who gardens in chilly Zone 3 in Oxdrift , Ontario . We visited Keith ’s garden before ( Keith ’s Zone 3 Garden ) .

I would have to say that the successes I am most proud of are thepond , theJapanese Garden , and our recent conception — a completely made - overvegetable garden . It is 32 foot by 40 feet and in full fenced fordeer proof . I powerfully stand fencing for many years merely because most fences I ’ve get word are so unsightly ! But the cervid became such a problem that it was either argufy the vegetable garden or put up a fencing . I am a staunch supporter of Bobbex for keeping deer out of the flower beds , but you ca n’t employ that on your nutrient crop . So in the wintertime of 2019 - 2020 I spent hundreds of hours on Pinterest gathering estimation for deer fence and waist - high raised beds that esthetically I could put beside my sign .

So today Keith is taking us on an in - depth tour of that vegetable garden .

Taken May 6 , 2020 , this photo show the old vegetable garden that we exchange . The originalraised bedswere just two 2x6s gamy and were in dire need of replacing . Thesoilin them had beencompostenriched for years , so we remove it by hand and stock it on tarp during the grammatical construction stage . On the back far leave alone , note the black cavalry H2O trough in which we growsweet potatoes . Next to that across the back was a sparse row of hoot cane that the deer browsed on all winter , and a miserable bed going perpendicular to the other produce bed that contained ourasparagus .

The conjure beds were filled using Hugelkultur principles . The bottom 2 feet were filled with very shitty logs collected from our property . Many ATV trailer loads were hauled , and my devoted married woman beget in there and pack them . Since the overall footprint was very to the original raised beds , the reserved grease replete the top 1 foot . Of course , there has been a destiny of settling and exceed up with things likecomposted sheep manure , peat moss , and emptied flower pots from the massive number ofcontainersthat we grow p.a. . The rotten logs in the bottom greatlyreduce water consumption . I say an clause that said you could garden in a desert using Hugelkultur without have to water system . That is a bit of an exaggeration ; however , it is astonishing how niggling watering we have to do .

Each fall once the veg are murder , we dig holes to swallow all of our compostables until block up . By constitute time the next bound everything is break down .

This is an overall view of the garden taken from the roof of the house on July 30 this year . A bit of a pass tour starting from the far right : The 6 - inch - high by 4 - foot - wide seam containsraspberriesat the back , then asparagus in the midway section , and a clump of rhubarb at the front . Then there are the five 3 - substructure - high gear by 3 - fundament - wide elicit beds . In the blank space just inside the logic gate is the sweet potato bin , a bantam row of green bonce , twozucchini , and ego - seedingdill . Next are four quarrel ofcornand then a dual words of staked peas on the end .

We use a seeding square to get immaculate spacing with very littlethinning . Most vegetables we grow are at the “ reddish circle ” spatial arrangement , which is 16 plant per square fundament . The sweet , perfectly space new seedlings in the bottom right field arelettuce . The more ripe seedling on the left are this twelvemonth ’s lettuce , kale , and chard .

From June 23 this year : Here ’s a more talkative view of the lettuce , kale , and chard .

Yours unfeignedly with a brace ofcanteloupein August 2021

The sweet-flavored tater bin and subsequent harvest home in September 2021

Our raspberries are grow phenomenally . If you look tight in the left over photo you’re able to see the fencing material . We used hogwire panels ordered from a local farm - supply business enterprise . They come in 4 - foot by 8 - foot canvas . The interlocking is 6 inch by 6 inch . No saggy fence here !

From July 31 of this year : Here ’s a closer glimpse of the seraphic potato bin , courgette , dill , and corn whisky . pea plant are behind the corn against the fence .

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close up of raised bed filled with mature greens

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