Transplanting Squash, Melons and Gourds in My Lazy No Dig, No TIll, No Weeding Garden Beds
I sowed my Cucurbits seeds a few weeks ago and they are finally ready for transplanting! After a few days of hardening off I didn't waste any time to get them in the ground. Actually it worked really perfectly because I got to plant in the rainy overcast day :)
I sowed my Cucurbits really close so I didn't want to waste any time getting them in the ground before they start competing for light.
Now I want to share with you why I am so excited about this! About a month ago I shared my My Very Lazy - No Dig, No Till, No Weeding - Garden Bed Prep Method.
I shared 6 examples of this garden bed prep method now I planted the squash into some narrow beds that I had made alongside some of the garden fences in 4 places.
I piled the old horse manure directly on the grass and let it sit for a few months. I can't tell you how happy I am in the results! At first I was going to use a shovel but then realized it was completely overkill.
I pulled some old manure aside and used my hands to excavate a small hole for the squash plant to live. The broken down manure is fluffy and the soil underneath is dark and rich. Almost every place I opened up had worms working hard!
I spaced them pretty close and hope they'll climb up this fence as well as sprawl on the grass in front.
More cucurbits planted along another edge of fence.
After I used up all of those fence edge beds I moved on to some squash holes that I prepped with extra compost and manure.
I planted extra plants in these holes and will probably thin them to about 2 or 3 plants per hole.
That's it for now! I look forward to uncovering some more of my no till beds for planting beans in the coming weeks. #foodisfree
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I love the way you call them 'lazy', because really, that's what we are after yeah, a lazy life? But all it does it free up time to fill with other projects and business, he he! At least you're saving yourself back breaking labour. Missing my cucumbers already.
The only cucumbers we are growing are Achocha, for the first time (acquired at seed swap else wouldn't have known about them!), which are not really cucumbers... but related.
How would you have acted in the absence of horse manure? And another one, do you have persistent weeds like couchgrass and bindweed over there?
I probably wouldn't have done as much new bed mulchin without the abundant horse manure. Or else find an outside source from a neighbor! we are lucky not to have too much of those tough weeds on thsi property. We have bindweed but it is not pervasive in this garden. The most tricky one to deal with in this property is the wild blackberries which start growing everywhere, especially near fences and trees thanks to birds poops. Once they are established they are hard to remove.
We have really been happy with our Ruth Stout method of gardening. It is our first year trying it and so far has produced fantastically. Of course we are using wasted hay from the horse and during that process of gathering it, we accumulate a lot of horse poop in the hay as well. Although not the same as what you described, it ultimately is about the same concept.
That is awesome! I love being creative int he garden with what we've got!
You've been visited by @thistle-rock from Homesteaders Co-op.
Anything that makes life easier is a plus for me! Can't wait to see the results of your "lazy" labour, I need to take on some of these methods because while I enjoy gardening, sometimes it is much more pleasurable just to sit back and watch nature at work.
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