My Woodchip Garden. Laying the Foundation. Back to Eden,

After watching this video called "back to eden" in October (fall feast time) of last year, i think there was something engraved in my spirit about its meaning.

the basic understanding is to cover soil with an organic matter that will help build the soil as compost, or else God will cover that same earth with grass, weeds etc.

This is protection for the soil, so it does not erode away fast, dehydrate of water and turn to dust / sand.

so in the last winter i had some woodchips delivered for free from a local tree surgeon. 
Fresh untreated woodchips are the ones to use for your garden not the treated crap u will get from the shops.

these will have all sorts of chemicals on the them to preserve the wood, and also will stop them from breaking down as fast. that's not what we want.

First i started by layering my primary Veg patch with around 4 inches of woodchip on top of the soil.
Note i didn't dig over the compost before putting the woodchip down.

I then spread the woodchip at the bottom of the Garden with the woodchips.

From the clay beds bordering, the clumpy grass, muddy ground.

I then built a strawberry Tower from some fencing planks and some 2 inch square battens.
Filled the tower with wood chips, then planted the strawberries in their own compost ball, since the woodchip is new.

I then done half of the front garden. ripping everything up and making a new footpath from top to bottom and then laying the left bed in woodchips.

I then made a mound of extra chips, made a trough in that mound and then laid 2 inches of compost in the trough. I then laid some lettuce seeds down the trough with some scattered flower clusters every so often for my mum.

I covered the seeds with sieved wood chips.
Sieved wood chips through a mess about 1cm in diameter.

I also filled all the pot plants with wood chips.

They are doing well at the moment.
Be interested to see what colour my mums Hydrangea flowers are this year and if the wood chips has affected the soils PH Level already.

 Round the outside of the main patch i plants some garlic cloves, but straight into the wood chip without thinking.
Also on the inside rim i planted some red onion bulbs and white onion seeds, but this time on a bed of compost then pulled the woodchips back again.
Red Onions seem to be doing well.

I also planted some Carrot and Parsnip seeds. I made a mound of extra chips and then made troughs.
Filled the troughs with compost then laid the seeds on top.

I covered the seeds with sieved wood chips.

probably not the best idea, had problems with cats and/or birds digging away at the new chips.

I then made a second trough filled with 2 inch compost. laid some white onion seeds and scattered clusters of spinach which i have not had much luck germinating.

I covered the seeds with sieved wood chips.

We still need to fertilise the ground as we would with normal garden soil.
But this is a NO DIG method. we let the soil alone and the woodchip as a sealant almost a protective covering. 
So we can layer our leaves, hedge clippings, grass cuttings and food peelings on top of the chips, in a moderate thin layer

they soon break down and release compost tea into the soil underneath which is where the roots primarily are.

I had some Yellow melon seeds that could not germinate, so i replaced with same seed and covered with chips they went on to germinate, is this for real?
Amazing.

There is also this little patch in the front which has our daffodils grow marking the new year (Real biblical New Year March, April 8th this year, leap year 13 months). and then weeds usually cover it. So i cut the weeds left them on top of soil as any greenery will help composting with the chips.

No cardboard was put down, so both top and bottom layers, and all the creatures in them can work together as a system, in breaking down into compost.

I covered with chips, planted some shop bought daisies in a compost ball, for my mum.

because of the shade i decided to plant some peas here as i know they like shade and the heat of the sun can end them.

I made a wide train close to the wall with a 2 inch compost foundation, I covered the seeds with sieved wood chips.

I also just made a train direct into the wood chips with no compost and threw the peas in there and today it seems they have had better germination than the compost ones.

I then made a second path in the front and woodchip the fence bed. planted some very weak broccoli sprouts here as this is the front North facing, i thought better for the cooler crops, shaded from the summer sun.

mixed results some sprouts leaves got eaten but stem survived. i don't mind i can give them some time i have another 6 spare broccoli and cabbage plants anyway which ile leave inside for now.

I also planted some spring onion seedlings, in rows in between the green plants, with a compost base.

I am kind of thinking i might of got this wrong what i think i should of done was planted all summer crops in back south facing and all cooler crop in the front north facing.

I need to give this time though as of today (29th May) while i am writing the weather is much cooler than normal (make sense of the leap year, and everything is one month late) so i am going to have to be patient. 

we have had too much rain which is good for the composting of the soil and settling the wood chips in. not good for the plants though, bugs and disease seems to increase, but i have not lost any plants yet.

I finished off the front garden by creating the centre bed which i had planned to have more tomatoes in.

Lined it with 6 inch fencing planks and filled with wood chips.

After Passover feast was finished around 28th April the temperature did go up so i started then putting some of my tomatoes outside.

I then planted Tomatoes in the front centre patch also with some room spare at the top.

I also had put small layers on chips, food peelings, horse manure, leaf trimmings onto these small patches i created the other year and put a trellis here. last year i grew tomatoes up.

I planted out the cucumber as some were struggling for hydration and others yellow bottom leaf so i just bit the bullet.

i have about ten others as back ups but these one are still alive today.

I simple made a hole, filled some recycled and shop bought mixed compost into the hole. put the young plant in there and compacting in with compost. then finished with some sieved chips on top of them.

The bugs did start nibbling them at first but they made it over the 3.5 day hump and are doing ok now.
i just need to put the others out now on the other patch under the trellis.
concerning this, I am going to wait until all the plants pick up and really start growing, they are not at the moment (June 7th, Shivan 1st New Moon)

The melons will go on the same patch at the front but will grow across the ground to start with as i believe the weight is too much for the trellis.

Just need some drier, warmer, Hotter weather now.

i want to make a note of when plants will really start to grow and mark it on our Godly calendar to find out more specifically when to start the seeds next year as this year i think i started a month or two, too earlier which is Understood as its a leap year.

I also have to build rope trellises for the tomato patches in the back and probably in the front also.

We are starting to get early strawberries now but i realistically see the bulk of them coming in July.
It will be June in a few days so lets see.

Thanks for watching.

God Bless you all,
In Jesus Mighty Name, 
Amen

~ 

Mosiah