Exciting VegHeadz Garden Changes

Getting started on our project - lots of weeds

This week the VegHeadz workday was spent reclaiming a portion of the Bed 5 horticultural garden at the Leon County Extension Office..

Thanks to Extension agents Trevor, Mark and Kelly, and the gardeners who work so hard in Bed 5, we were ceded this area to provide access to raised beds at the top of the vegetable garden and for eventual expansion of the VegHeadz garden into that area of Bed 5.

Bed 5 gardeners may have been glad to get rid of that area.  It has been a source of frustration for them as the weeds seemed to be unstoppable.  For the VegHeadz, it is a chance to plant in an area with more sun than what is available at the bottom of the vegetable garden. 

We started by transplanting a few of the clumps of garlic chives that had overtaken the area, and repositioning some blackberry plants along the fence.  We hope they'll provide some fruit in the spring.  We pulled the worst of the weeds, and then covered the area in cardboard and wood chip mulch. 


The fence between that area and the vegetable garden was removed to provide better access.  A portion of the fence at the corner was left to support the fall sunflowers that grow there as well as to provide support to the fence on the East side of Bed 5. 



Blackberry canes along fence

 The bed will be allowed to "mellow" as the cardboard and mulch suppress the weeds, and plans will be made to add some beds in the fall or next spring.   We're thinking of a series of "cottage" gardens incorporating ornamentals and edibles to demonstrate what homeowners can do in their yard to grow vegetables along with their established plantings.  We'll keep you updated as the plans develop. 


Fence removed between gardens

 

Lots of VegHeadz turned out for this project

Weed suppression with cardboard and mulch which will be allowed to
compost in place for several months