Raised Beds ... Old and New

Last week I mulched the tomato / cucumber bed using hard-wood mulch from the bottom of the pile.  This week I have a new crop of grass sprouting throughout that bed.  Curse those unseen seeds!  But I took care of the baby grass today.

First, I put out layers of newspaper, surrounding the desirable plants and covering the entire surface of the soil.  Using the garden hose, I wet the paper.  Then I piled on old leaves from the leaf mulch pile and thoroughly soaked the whole thing.  That should kill the grass, but I have to wonder how many rogue seeds are hiding out in those leaves?

This morning Rouse asked Andrew to take the kids' old sandbox to the dump.  Andrew had a better idea ... Let's turn it into a new raised bed!  Yay!  I NEED another raised bed!  I have melon seedlings and basil plants waiting to be tucked into their own bed.

No sooner said than done. The grass has been chopped.  Giant rocks have been removed.  The 5' x 5' wood-sided structure is in place, filled with a rich mixture of soil, horse manure, and other organic matter.  The garden hose has been employed to give the soil a good soaking.

Now fencing must be placed around this bed to keep the chickens and the rabbits OUT.  Then it will be ready for planting.  Soon, the melons will be putting down roots!  Don't I have some awesome guys?