We spent most of Memorial Day weekend working on one part or another. We got the pavers placed thanks to an ingenious device built by Neighbor Mike. These things are very heavy, and there is no way we could have placed them accurately without this lifter.
And accuracy was needed as Tim did the math and determined that the space between the pavers should be 6 and 5/16 inches. Yes, we are dealing with 16ths of inches!
As we were getting them placed, Tim had the wonderful inspiration to fill the gaps between with old road bricks we had stockpiled. This makes it much easier to walk on the path (no wide gaps) and adds some style.
I’ve spent a good deal of time worrying that the soil or the whole plan might somehow backfire, and this garden will disappoint me and not grow anything. I was pleased one morning when I came out and found a sign left by the Garden Fairies that things would grow just fine… volunteer mystery squash from the compost pile.
One thing to note is that with all of this gravel and the large (thick) pavers, the garden is a good 10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature. And the deep gravel and drainage system is holding a lot of water which would normally end up in the drainage ditch, or puddle in the yard, so the humidity is good as well. My tomatoes think they are vacationing in the French Riviera.
So, for the past week, when I would normally be hoeing the paths between rows, and cursing the mud from the rain, I have been wandering around my garden, pulling the occasional weed (or compost volunteer) and wondering if this raised bed thing really is TOO easy. In fact Tim and I and one or more of the cats, have taken to spending a few minutes each evening just sitting in there admiring his work, and counting the sprouts. Which has prompted us to search for simple benches to put at the ends of some of the beds. We also have more cosmetic touches to finish such as caps on the posts, and pergolas over the gates. So stay tuned!
Your garden looks fantastic!!!
ReplyDeleteI think you're really going to love the raised beds. They're so easy to maintain. The only problem I have encountered is amending the soil with compost come winter. However, the way you built yours, it doesn't appear that you're going to have that problem.
I love the bricks between the pavers, by the way. It looks fantastic!
I think that may be the most beautiful garden I've ever seen. Really nice job!
ReplyDeleteWow ! I didn't measure 16th's of an inch when I built our last barn, but it works because the results look fantastic for sure ! That IS the snazziest set of raised bed gardens I've ever laid eyes on ! If we had anything half that pretty around here we'd never get anything done because we'd be spending all our time staring out the window looking at it !
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