More on Implementing the Ruth Stout Method Comes to Screeching Stop and Alternative

The first order of business is to weed whack the garden down to the ground.

Then, we replaced the fence around the garden. Can you imagine the mess our free ranging chickens could do over time to our neatly partitioned rows?!!

We measured and mark the rows with stakes and string per market garden set-up guidelines, but expanded the walkways to 24" instead of 12" to allow for my converted toy box garden cart. Did I tell y'all about that? I found a plastic toy box at a thrift store that I paid $3 for. I added wheels from two upcycled tricycles, and a pull string (leftover clothes line).  On the back end, I fashioned a rack out of scrap 2x6s which holds my long handle tools like a hoe or shovels so I don't have to kneel. It holds all my hand tools a water jug, and a tray of plant starts to plant. I can sit on it to care and harvest my plants. The harvest can be piled inside for easy carrying. So I can go out for my mornings in the garden and work without traipsing back and forth for odds and ends. There's even a pocket slots inside to holds a glass of iced tea, and a bag with ice and a washcloth in it so when I take a break and cool down, I can just sit and take one. The slot pockets inside are held in place by loops screwed into the 2x6 board at the top and bottom so it doesn't move.

The next step (not Ruth Stout, but it can't hurt) is a layer of wet cardboard. It will feed the worms all winter too. We'll be doing the orchard area again too. All the rain we've had since last winter has eroded the tiers, somewhat. 

Think multitudes upon multitudes of hay bales gotten in eight bale lots. Why eight bales? That's all the will fit inside and on top of the Blazer. We'd attach a trailer, if we had one, the top of the access road was fixed by the owner. Luckily where we are getting the hay is only eight miles away round trip. One bale will cover a 3'x2' section of a 32' gardening row. Sixteen bales for one row times nine. That's just in the vegetable patch closest to the house. That's a lot of hay! Yes, the big rolls would be cheaper but the last time we did that, it almost killed us 60-ish old widows. 

That's as far as we got. Everything came to a screeching halt when Mel reminded me that we had other plans for this area. Now we have to undo all that we had done so far to relocate it all to a section of the orchard we had grown orchard grass in. Sigh! One step forward two back. We're still stuck on an area of the orchard to use that is accessible for me to use daily for the garden that already doesn't have a use. 

For now, I've done three rows behind the planned construction area and the house. The space measures 12'x 45' so it's not huge. For that we can use the square bales foe. This may be just a fresh eating patch until we make an area in the orchard accessible for me down on the third tier without using the tractor. To make it accessible for me will take steps and hand rails midway in the tiers. A winter project, if ever there was one. For that we'd need a roll of hay to produce enough vegetables in the orchard garden. Two would be better, but one will work. They'll be pulled apart cart load by cart load and placed where we need them. That's the plan for now anyhow.

We might be slower, but we're gittin'- r- done with age but, if CRAFT would stop occurring it would be faster. But at least the old garden area looks nice. Maybe, we'll plant some actual grass where to garden was in the spring? The soil is rich enough. It'll be nice to mow grass instead of just weeds until the buildings go up. 

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo