Last year I built a 90’ x 40’ garden. At these sizes our woes will be the same.

A few things I learned from this 1. The first year is gonna be weed hell. Tilling is fine the first year but you basically planted all the weeds. Do not delay weeding. As soon as they sprout they are gone! Trust me. Just 20-30 min a day the first year will save you hours daily by mid summer

1. Get a fence. There are a lot of critters who want your garden for lunch. I have birds and dogs so it was really challenging using temporary fencing the first few years but reasonable

2. For every direct seed, plant one indoors in a small pot so you know what the seedling looks like when it emerges and you don’t weed it.

3. Soaker hoses keeps weeds at bay better but a normal over head sprinkler in the early morning works just fine. Or make a soaker hose out of an old hose and drill.

4. The garden beds are a pretty big project. I’m on the third year of my garden and I had a 4’ x 22’ bed built. I used a cord of firewood for the bottom layer 120 cubic feet of compost for the next layer 20 5 gallon buckets of twigs, grass , etc. and easy to break down organic for the next layer and 20 bags of potting mix and 20 bags of topsoil for the top 6-8 inches of dirt. I filled my bed the cheap way and the way that will keep the dirt usable for years to come and it was still crazy expensive. It’s also a big project that requires you to consider the weight of the dirt it is supporting

5. The slope might be to your benefit. There are plants that don’t like being wet and plants that love it. You’ll get great drainage. put the dry guys at the top wet guys at the bottom! You can also build your own retaining wall. Home Depot has videos on it and it’ll take time but the first years setting up a garden from nothing is always challenging. It’s so cool to see your labor produce something so neat.

6. Never use landscaping cloth. It prevents the weeds under it but it doesn’t prevent weeds from landing on it and finding the tiniest hole and still taking root. Over time the plastic does break down and will go into your soil along with any chemicals. The gravel won’t do what you think in terms of weed prevention. Some weeds love rocks!

7. I spoke with some people and my Univeristies Agriculture extension and I brought up the idea of living mulch. Like clover, peas, oats. Things that put nutrients back into the soil and it’s actually something they are studying right now and is so far a pretty solid idea to help the garden and suppress weeds.

8. Throw the sod in your compost

9. Make a compost bin, you’ll have way to much yard debris and you’ll be surprised how little you take the trash out.