Planting!

Today was a big work day.  We got to work just before 10 am and were heading home at 4:30.  During that time we got all the posts for the deer fence set up, installed the drip irrigation system, and put seeds in the ground.

Setting up the posts.

Laying out the drip irrigation system.

Pressurizing the system.

Checking for leaks.

Planting potatoes!

Burying the drip tape for the irrigation.

Planting beans.

Photos taken while gardening are always flattering...

Quitting time!

It was a long day, but we got a ton done.  My mom broke her arm this week, so instead of playing in the dirt, she got to keep an eye on the twins inside the church.  Chris intended to help in the garden, but ended up kid wrangling for most of the day, which was also amazingly helpful.

My dad and my husband put up all 30 T posts for the deer fence and got half the netting up.  The wind picked up enough that it was too difficult to install the rest, so we are saving that for another day.

The drip irrigation system, ordered from Dripworks, was very easy to put together and install.  Once we pressurized the system we found some leaks, but those were easy enough to fix.  We started putting the drip tape and fixtures together in the morning when the plastic tape was a bit stiff.  The tape was warmer and more pliable in the afternoon, so we could get tighter seals then.

The drip tape in action:

Each emitter on the drip tape uses a half gallon of water per hour.  There is an emitter every eight inches.

Once the irrigation system was all set to go I started planting.  I planted Yukon Gold potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, summer squash, two lettuce mixes, two varieties of kale, two types of green beans, a beet mix, two kinds of carrots, radishes, and yellow onions.  I also planted four parsley plants that were given to me.  I intended to plant cucumbers, but I misplaced those seeds somewhere between my house and the garden.

Tomatoes will go in later this week, once I build a support structure for them.

Raking

Today's plan was to purchase T posts and set them up for the deer fence.  After a bit of a run-around, we decided to order in some eight foot posts instead of buying the seven footers that were available.  The T posts will be in on Friday.

Since I had gone through the trouble of loading up all the kids and driving into town, I decided to grab a rake and clean some of the clumps of sod out of the rows.  I spent close to three hours raking, and it's looking quite nice.  My kids had had enough fun after an hour or so, so my parents took them home and I finished up alone.  It was quite peaceful.

Picking out sod clods.  (Don't mind the wide screen effect--my automatic lens cover has issues.)

Raking.

Looking good!

I was feeling pretty frustrated and overwhelmed by life in general, so it was really nice to work in the dirt for a while.  A gentleman who lives in the neighborhood stopped by while I was working to compliment me on the garden.  He said his mom used to have a garden, and he always loved to sit near it and enjoy the quiet and the growing things.  It was nice to talk to someone from the neighborhood and to hear that the garden is already making a positive impression on people, even though nothing is growing quite yet.

I thought I might start planting yesterday, but I decided to wait until the drip irrigation system I ordered arrived.  It will be here Thursday, so Friday will be a big workday.

Setting Rows

The compost has been sitting on the garden for over a week now, so it is time to till it in.  My parents and I spent a few hours working.  First my dad tilled the compost in, which was far easier work than breaking up the sod in the first place.

Once the compost was churned in well, we decided that we should add some lime, since soil around here tends to be quite acidic.  After a quick trip to the Feed Store, we had the required lime.  We spread the recommended 50 pounds per 1000 square feet, then tilled the plot again.

Spreading the lime.

Tilling.  Again.

Next, we set the rows.  We put the furrower attachment on the tiller and set to work.  Putting the rows in went quite quickly once I stopped waffling on how wide I wanted each row and pathway to be.

Starting the first path.

Garden in progress.

Once all the rows were set, we raked stray soil off the lawn and used rakes to clean up the pathways.

It's really starting to look like a garden now.

Spreading Compost

When we last saw our compost pile, it looked like this:

Before.

My parents, concerned that the rain would make the compost too difficult to push around if we left it, spent a few hours shoveling compost the same day we had it delivered.  My dad and I finished the job today.

During.

After.

I checked on the straw bales today, too.  Their temperatures are still sitting right around 80 degrees F.  This isn't nearly hot enough for the rapid composting I want.  My mom and I decided to try a different fertilizer.  I suspect that the organic mix I was using is not high enough in nitrogen.

The bales, just hanging out.

I am starting to get a little anxious that I am getting too late a start on this garden.  I really hope to see at least some produce for all this effort.  The good news is that the really tough work is nearly done, then the fun stuff of actually tending a garden will start!

Compost and Straw Bale Update

One great resource Tillamook has to offer gardeners is the Hooley digester.  Cow manure from many of the local dairy farms is broken down and the methane is converted into electricity.  The leftovers make wonderful compost.  The good people at the Port of Tillamook Bay donated ten yards of compost for our garden project.  A few gentlemen at both Saint Peter's and TUMC offered to help transport the compost, but lucky for all of us, Pastor arranged for Rosenberg, a local builder's supply store, to deliver it for free.  This kindness saved us a literal ton of work, since we won't need to shovel compost out of the beds of pickups or off trailers.

The plan from here is to spread the compost out across the garden and let it sit for about a week.  Hopefully the compost is hot enough yet to cook and kill any sod that remains in the garden plot.  After a week, we will till again to mix the compost into the soil.

Today I checked the temperature of the straw bales with a compost thermometer.  Their internal temperature is only about 80 degrees F.  I added a shovel of hot compost to the top of each bale.  I will check the temperature again next time I go by the garden.  Hopefully the straw starts breaking down soon and we can get planting.

Thank you, Rosenberg!

And this is what ten yards of compost looks like.  It isn't as big and scary as I thought it would be.

We Break Ground

No utility lines were located near our garden plot, so today we broke ground.  Tilling through sod is tough, TOUGH work.  My parents did the bulk of the work.  I did some tilling, and spent a good chunk of the day chasing my kids.  It feels great to get started!

My littlest helpers are sleeping!

Pastor took the riding mower out for a spin to cut the grass as short as possible before tilling.

These guys stopped running just long enough to supervise tilling for about 30 seconds.

Miles thinks work days are fun!  He also enjoys finding his big brother's pudding cups.

Elim, enjoying the work day and pudding as much as his twin.

It took about eight passes of the rototiller to get this deep.  Sod is no fun.

The little helpers definitely had more fun during the work day than the adults did.

Wheel barrow ride!

After seven or so hours of very hard work, this chunk of yard is starting to look like a real garden.

We Begin! Setting Up the Straw Bale Garden

My garden project gained official approval yesterday.  Today I had straw bales delivered from the local feed store and called 811 (call before you dig) for the main garden plot.  I can begin tilling up the main plot on Friday.  My project for today was setting the straw bales up.

I ordered seven straw bales and with Chris Jefferies' help, set them up along the south side of the TUMC garage.  Our children enjoyed helping, too.  Once the bales were in place, we soaked them down, added some organic fertilizer, and soaked them again.  Anita Johanson and Peggy Jefferies helped today, too.  I have never tried a straw bale garden before, and I am excited to give it a try.  The bales will need to "cook" over the next ten days before we can plant.  In the meantime I need to figure out how to set up a hot house type structure over the garden so we can grow heat-loving crops like tomatoes.

The bales were of great interest to all our little helpers.

The soaking process was of even more interest to our little helpers.

To learn more about straw bale gardens, look here.

The Plan

I recently moved back to Tillamook, Oregon from Rochester, Minnesota.  My church in Rochester, Hosanna Lutheran, had a garden in which they grew produce for the local food bank.  I helped tend that garden, and thought it would be a great outreach project to start in Tillamook.

My church in Tillamook, Saint Peter Lutheran, does not have adequate property for a garden, but the United Methodist Church (TUMC) does.  This is the project proposal I submitted to the TUMC Council.

Community Garden Project Proposal

Overview:  The goal of this project is to install a community garden on the grounds of Tillamook United Methodist Church with the purpose to grow produce for the food pantry.

Location:  One garden plot measuring 20 feet east-west by 50 feet north-south will be located at the east end of TUMC property, just northeast of the church building.  A deer fence will be installed approximately five feet outside the perimeter of the plot.  Before the ground is tilled, it will be determined with certainty that neither the plot nor the fence will interfere with the mowing of the lawn, nor will any utility lines be disturbed.

In addition to the main garden plot, a straw bale garden will be placed along the south side of the garage.  A temporary “hot house” structure will be constructed over this garden for growing heat loving crops like tomatoes and peppers.

Workforce:  The garden will be tended by volunteer workers, headed up and organized by Adrian Johanson. 

Finances:  The cost of the garden will be covered by private donations of money or materials, special offerings, and potentially by a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe or similar.

Produce:  Any produce grown will be donated directly to the food pantry located at TUMC.  If it is determined that the garden is so successful that there is more produce than the pantry can handle, the produce will be distributed to other food pantries in the Tillamook area.

Cleanup:  When the growing season is over, the garden crew will pull up plants and store any plant supports.  If the TUMC Council decides to discontinue the garden project for any reason, the garden crew, headed by Adrian Johanson, will remove all plants, supports, and fencing, tamp down the soil, and reseed with grass.

The project was approved.