Wyoming is a place where we can get snow through mid-May - as was proven last year, so patience must be had when starting any outdoor gardening here!
So, much of May was spent simply preparing. (This is for 
I want to incorporate several different methods in my gardening. Ideally, I want to do deep beds modeled on hugulkultur and straw methods. I also want to companion plant on a square-foot garden model. (Do a Google - or look on YouTube for more info on those terms and ideas. I may get back to this another time...)
However, the deep bed methods really need to be started in the fall, not the spring! And now is when is when we need to start - not in the fall... So, best will have to wait for next year. This year, we will make do...
Planning Companion Plants
I spent a whole day sitting down and working with companion plant groups - until I was able to design a number of beds that will be approximately 4'x8' so that the chicken tractor will perfectly cover a bed for the fall cleanup (a la chicken) before the get mulched for the winter.
I came up with 6 or 7 separate bed plans, each based on the 4'x8' model, trying to make full use of the ground for both tall and short species as well as root vegetables plus even crawling/sprawling plants as possible.
Some things were easier than others...
These strawberry plants (bought from a local gardener, so I know they'll work with Wyoming winters) got interplanted with thyme in the middle plus little onion starts which I found on discount. (Good thing, because those little onions didn't take at all - the other plants are all doing fine a week later.)
This fennel gets its own bed - though I threw flower seeds all around it. Apparently, they really don't get along well with any other crop. Apparently, they will tolerate dill and/or carrots, but not well... and I already planned for those elsewhere. So far, it's taken very well to being transplanted.
Preparing a (experimental) speedy deep bed...
Ideally, you want a number of layers on this bed and a lot more time. I have neither the time nor the money to do so many beds as well as they should this year, so I am prepared for the fact they won't do as well as I'd like...
We started with this:
We continued with a layer of newspaper. Really, we wanted more newspaper and/or cardboard to create a better weed-proof layer, but that wasn't something we had readily available - plus, the next step wasn't going to be perfect either...
(The newspaper kept trying to blow away in our Wyoming wind!)
Then, we spread a bale of alfalfa hay over it. Ideally, this should either be straw and/or part-rotted, but again, we didn't really have that luxury this year. However, it should still do the job of holding moisture and nourishment to help our plants grow - even though I'll probably have to pull alfalfa weeds from time to time (or leave them if they're not causing too much trouble. The nitrogen fixing should help a lot!)
Next, we spread a bag of mulched manure, which turned out to be too expensive, so I quickly changed plans there. I did complete this bed with a cheaper version of manure + compost, but didn't take any pictures of it at that stage, sadly.
It is now planted with:
lettuce
corn with peas (which will climb up the corn)
cucumbers intermixed with radishes
a lavender plant
summer squashes intermixed with radishes
more corn with peas
more lettuce
flowers
Part of the goal with square-foot gardening is to slightly crowd the crops to get fewer weeds and more produce per bed. So, that's what I've done. We'll see how this bed fares compared to others this year.
Due to the cost of the alfalfa, the fact I don't have time to let it rot first, and the fact the bed took a lot more manure/compost than I expected, this is the only bed I've done to this extent this year.
If it does well, then I will do more for sure, beginning in the fall like it's supposed to do - hopefully on our own land.
End of Month
So, that was three beds. The fourth (2'x2') was planted with four potatoes I had sitting in my cupboard, roots growing everywhere. I put some nasturtiums with them.
Other than the experimental deep bed, the others at this point were simply adding more compost/manure above the soil and planting within them. The soil in Wyoming is notoriously difficult to grow in - at least in our part of Wyoming. So, my plan is to build up, rather than try to dig in so much.
However, due to time/financial constraints, the remainder of the garden has now been tilled and will be worked with in that state... I did have my husband try to keep the digging more shallow than what would normally be done to try to avoid damaging the soil structure any more than we have to.
It will be a good lesson to compare how the thicker beds do compared to a traditionally tilled bed...
More to come!
Photos taken in May 2020 with my Nikon D7200.
Past issues...
Poultry
Chickens - A Little About Our Breeds
Chick Update and the new Warming Plate
Chickens Grow Quickly
Building our Chicken Tractor
Reinforcing our Chicken Tractor
Gardening in Wyoming
Indoor Gardening
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
(Buy my work at RedBubble, TeePublic, PicFair and DeviantArt.)
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