After the cool, wet days of May we can now get seriously planting and cultivating our gardens. While there are many plants that can be seeded outdoors now but don’t be tempted to start working your soil if it is still too wet.  If you insist on tilling your garden it is very important to wait until the soil has drained and dried enough to be crumbly, not sticky.  I do not till my garden soil at all because tilling is very damaging to soil & unnecessary.  If you have raised beds you can get started sooner because of better drainage, warmer soils & no tilling is needed.  Whether you are beginning a new garden or wish to improve an established garden, raised beds will make your garden more productive, more convenient, and are less work in the long run (no tilling, ever!). Raised beds do very well in the hilly, rocky, weedy, cool, wet, northern New England conditions. Because the spring weeds have been growing so well now is also a great time to start making your own “weed bio-fertilizer” that will improve your garden soil for free!

Raised Beds.  While building raised beds will require some extra effort in the beginning, they will save you work later plus all the benefits are well worth the effort.  In case you need convincing, here is a summary of the specific benefits:

• Deeper soil for better root growth   (bigger, healthier plants)
• Better drainage in wet, clayey soils
• Faster soil warming in the spring
• Efficient use of your planting space   (grow more in limited areas)
• Reduced soil erosion on slopes
• Improved soil structure and aeration
• No need to ever rototill, dig, or plow the garden   (earthworms do that work)
• Creates an attractive garden appearance
• High raised beds are more accessible  (less bending)

Building raised beds is work, but there are several techniques that you can choose from to suit your preferences and circumstances.  Since you should never step on the raised beds be sure they are no wider than twice your arm’s reach, usually about 4-5 feet across.  Raised beds can be as long or as short as you wish!  

My favorite way to establish a new bed on top of lawn or a field is without any tilling or sod removal.  Simply mow or weed whack the grass or weeds as short as possible (less than 1 inch, if possible) in the area you have designated for your new bed(s).  Cover that shaved ground with corrugated cardboard or 10 layers of newspaper and then spread compost/soil mixture (50:50) on top of the bed.  No side walls are necessary, and you should make your bed 6-12 inches deep.  Few weeds can penetrate that paper barrier from below and after the grass or weeds die they will become part of your valuable soil organic matter.  Worms and beneficial microbes will flourish, and the bed will become one with the ground over the first summer after the cardboard or paper has decayed. 

The new raised bed can be planted with seeds or transplants on the same day it is made!  If you’re doing multiple beds leave a walkway space of about 2-3 ft between each bed.  Walkways can be mowed grass or covered with newspaper and wood chips.  Depending on the size of the mature plants, you can plant 1 to 4 rows lengthwise in each bed or you can use the productive Square Foot Garden method to organize your bed.  Remember that you NEVER step on the bed so the soil will remain loose.  No rototilling or digging will be necessary, ever.  Weeds will be more controllable, and the bed only needs added compost annually to keep its depth and fertility.

If your garden area is relatively small or you prefer an organized look then bed walls work well.  You can buy ready-made kits for beds from sources like Vermont’s own Gardeners’ Supply that are easy to set up but are expensive.  You can build your own bed walls from lumber, concrete blocks, or stones.  There are corner anchors using concrete corner forms made just for this purpose.  They are solid, stackable, and inexpensive.  Do not use older pressure treated lumber or old railroad ties as the preservatives may leach out into your soil and contaminate your plants and food over time.  Cedar is a very durable wood to use but expensive. Locally available Locust is very good because it lasts longer (10+ years) while fir and pine are also useable but have a shorter life (3-5 years) in contact with moist soil.  I’ve had success with 2” x 12” locust but 2” x 8” or 2” x 10” will work.  Lumber usually comes in 8 ft lengths so raised beds that are 4 ft wide and 8 ft long or 4 ft wide by 4 ft long avoid wasted lumber.

It’s not advisable to line the beds with a plastic weed barrier but if you have a problem with voles (not moles) you can line the bottom of the bed with ¼ inch wire mesh (“hardware cloth”) folded up and stapled to the wooden sides to keep them from sneaking in from below.  Fill the beds with a 50:50 mixture of topsoil and compost and you’re ready to plant.  There are several good DIY videos and instructions online if you want some building help. 

A second approach is to first half-fill the bed boxes (or the open beds described previously) with old rotting logs (that old firewood you never used), branches, and/or wood chips before filling with compost/soil.   This provides height and bulk to the beds plus a slow release of organic matter and nutrients for several years.  Do not use black locust or black walnut, they are toxic to other plants and decay too slowly.  This technique is originally from Germany and is called “Hugelkultur”. 

What to Plant now?  June is prime planting and transplanting time in Vermont.  We continue seeding salad greens, kale, carrots, radishes, spinach, etc.  Onion plants and sets need to be up and growing well before June 21 when daylength changes to shortening days.  Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, squash, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. should be in the garden now.  Side dress transplants with compost and then mulch to feed the soil and keep in moisture.

Bio-fertilizer.  Turn your weeds into free liquid fertilizer!  Any weeds will do but I especially like converting invasives like bishops weed (goutweed), garlic mustard, & dandelions into fertilizer.  Simply pull them, chop them (roots and all), fill a 5-gallon bucket with them and add water to fill. Cover and let it ferment for 2-4 weeks (no mixing necessary) and you will have a couple gallons of nutrient rich, liquid bio-fertilizer extracted from your weeds.  Dilute the liquid 10 to 1 with water and apply to all outdoor plants.  This liquid is rich in the nutrients that the weeds took out of your soil and high in beneficial microbes to enrich your soil.  Add the weed solids to your compost and start another batch. Here is a short video to help you get started with your own bio-fertilizer.

Looking for more Lawn & Gardening information?  The University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Master Gardeners are available to answer questions from gardeners in Vermont on a broad range of home horticulture topics including soil bed preparation and planting; vegetable and fruit gardening; annuals and perennials; backyard composting; sustainable lawn care; plant diseases and integrated pest management, among others.

Volunteers will answer calls on the Master Gardener Helpline from 9 a.m.-noon, Thursdays through October. Call (802) 656-5421.  They also take online written questions at the above link.  The online form includes an option for providing up to three photos. Gardeners also are encouraged to use the online system to submit photos of plants damaged by insects and diseases.

No Mow May is a campaign to support early spring pollinators and amphibians.  The first mowing of overgrown grass provides a great supply of mulching and composting material. Now is the time to raise the blade and mow high (4-6 inches) while going around the June wildflowers in the lawn to create pollinator and amphibian sanctuaries!