My garden last year was excellent! While the introduction of raised beds didn’t really increase my production greatly (as my gardens have always produced well), it really added a lot of weed and water control to my grow areas.

The best yields came from my root vegetables and leafy greens, with great success with turnips, beets, carrots, radishes, kale, and lettuce. The mulch really helped with weeds in the early stages, and the soil was able to retain moisture well. I had failures in my peas, but they were not in the area with the raised beds.

I also had great yields from my squash over in my compost area. I had harvested dirt for my beds from the southernmost patch of my garden, and filled it with compost. The squash thrived in that environment, and served as an agent to break down the compost. This year that area is completely fine dirt.

My soaker system I used, running the soakers across the top of the beds, worked very well. Better than having a radial sprinkler I had used in years prior. The soaker system was able to keep the soil moist, and the mulch kept the beds from drying and cracking. Just a few minutes of water every day kept the beds very lush.

The weeds were manageable all the way through July, but then they really started to take over in August, dominating the aisles between the beds. This was a real problem - the weeds inside the beds weren’t bad, but the weeds outside were atrocious. When the squash inevitably succumbed to the vine borer… I was left with mostly a lot of weeds to deal with, since I didn’t attempt a second crop.

That brings up my late season nightshades and cucumbers… They did not do great. Cucumbers growing on the ground led to a lot of pests and rot, and the nightshades did not have enough support for them to really thrive. The tomatoes I planted did okay, but the peppers barely produced at all. I think the lack of support and the lack of soil depth really hurt them.

Going back in this year, I wanted to improve on a few of these issues. The first modification was to extend the beds fully, removing the gap between the beds in the middle. Since the middle area gets water from my soaker system, it only provided for a place for weeds to grow and while the ability to move around was nice it was not worth the cost. Given this, it seemed like it was best to just eliminate the gap; so that’s what I did.

Next, I added a layer of cardboard in the aisles between the beds in hopes that it would prevent weed growth altogether. Despite being relatively heavy-duty, it’s already started to break down. Before the spring is out, I am going to put landscape fabric down as a second layer of protection.

I’m experimenting with a new planting method that I think should improve water control. I mounded up my rows before I planted, and then planted the seeds in the tops of the mounds. When I fill it with mulch, the mulch fills in the voids between the rows; putting more mulch depth in areas I don’t want anything to grow. Once I thin out my rows, I’ll add a new layer on top.

I have a new favorite garden tool - the adze. It is very versatile for working the surface of the soil, chopping out weeds and digging. In a way, just having this tool is what inspired me to try this method.

The biggest change is the reconstruction and upgrade of my northernmost bed. I extended it out by an additional half of a block, and added a second layer of blocks on the top. Inside, it has about 10 inches of soil under 4 inches of mulch. I expect that I will have a great increase in water control, root depth, and weed control.

It did lead to the demolition of half of my easternmost bed, which I wasn’t happy with anyways. It was the source of my poor nightshade and cucumber production last year, which in part I blame for being next to the fence-line adjoining the yard. I dug it out and filled it back to ground level with compost.

It took another haul of block and a yard of mulch, but I think I am satisfied with the results.