Ed, You did a lot of planning to come up with this accessible garden. Your plants are beautiful and healthy. And no bugs. I had'nt thought about putting cattle panels over the greens to keep out the deer.

One question. Do you think it'd be feasable to make the beds taller for wheelchair accessability? (SP)
Another question. Did you use any plain soil or is it all composted?
I love the mountain in the background. I live on one. Your wife has got to be one special lady.

We lived in Warrenton (just out of DC) For several years. Are you near Fauquear (SP) CO.

Hi Ed. i'm from Israel, an occupational therapist, loves gardening and lecturing in horticultural, nature and art therapy. i also make arts&crafts from reuse of discarded materials. i have 5 children, 4 of them were legally adopted since infancy (now ages 15-21) and have Down Syndrome so i worked a lot - mostly as a volunteer - with people with special needs. i enjoyed reading and seeing what you have done in your garden and lernt from it. wishing you and your wife many years of joy in your garden. Tami (please forgive my spelling mistakes)

Hi Oakleif,

Sometimes I'm a little slow in responding to messages. Summertime on our farm keeps me busy. In addition to remodeling a house, I'm currently installing cattle fencing and watering systems. Fun times!

Yes, my wife is a VERY SPECIAL lady. You mentioned the mountain in the picture. We live on the front range of the Blue Ridge Mountains about 45 miles south of Charlottesville. We moved here about 15 years ago and live in a small valley that has three other families. My "city wife" says, "Today is just another ho-hum day in paradise". She loves it here. Friends and relatives who visit tell us we live on the postcard. My wife says, "Actually, we live on the stamp."

If we go shopping at Tyson Corners we drive past Warrenton, but that area has grown a lot in recent years and the traffic is very heavy sometimes.

Planning our garden didn't take a whole lot of thought. I subscribe to the idea that "simple is best". So, it's mostly squares with multiples of 2. The cattle panels fit into those measurements. Our garden is functional, not ornate. Of course, one could use stone to build the beds, put in drip irrigation, etc. but my approach was utilitarian.

You asked me if I thought it was feasible to make the beds taller and wheelchair accessible? Yes, I think it is quite feasible. My first consideration would be wheelchair friendly pathways. They should be some form of hardscape, either concrete, asphalt, leveled brick on packed underlayment without mortar joints, or at the very minimum solidly packed dirt.

Basically, I would build three frames and stack them on top of each other. In addition to the lag bolts used for each frame, I would secure the frames together using corner connectors. I would line the inside of the stacked frames with either Tyvek house wrap or heavy mil plastic. I might make a three-tier raised bed somewhat narrower (perhaps 3') to improve reachability from the wheelchair.

Being a farm guy I would use my tractor loader and put several inches of fill dirt in the bottom, and then put in some good top soil amended with compost. I'd leave the top 4"-6" available for hay mulch.

If you need assistance building such a bed, I would suggest contacting your local troop of Boy Scouts. Eagle Scouts enjoy this type of project and it would likely help them satisfy some of the Eagle Scout requirements.

As to soil, I rototilled a lot of compost into the soil before I built the beds. As the hay mulch decomposes it will continue to add mulch to the beds. Each year it will only get better. Presently, the mulch holds mositure very nicely and keeps the ground cool. We are currently experiencing temperatures in the upper 90's and the garden shows no signs of stress.

I'll try and post a sketch I made of the taller bed. I hope it helps.

Regards,
Ed

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Hi Tami,

Thank you for the kind words. You sound like a very busy person.

Over the years I've observed how the folks in Israel have transformed some very difficult soil and landscapes from barren ground into beautiful gardens. I think gardening in Israel might be something of a challenge. Some of the innovative and new gardening ideas coming out of Israel are very interesting. For example, some of the computer controlled greenhouses used for automated tomato growing are impressive.

It would be my thought that many of the techniques I used in our garden would work well in Israel, especially the heavy use of hay mulch to hold moisture and keep the ground temperatures cooler on hot days. Of course, I also think that most gardeners in Israel already know such things.

Please don't worry about spelling. Believe me, your English is much better than my Hebrew.

Take Care,
Ed

I had to drag my husband over to see your beds! These are fabulous!

I too have difficulty walking, and my blessed husband has dug and dug and dug my numerous flower beds, and lord love him, he even weeds for me. It is so frustrating not being able to get down in the dirt, but I can do stuff on the tops of my plants, and have several containers also.

You and my hubby are the good guys! Bless you! Say hello to your wife for me!

Sharon

Hi Sharon,

My wife says, "Husbands get all the dirty jobs, but wives get everything else."

I too plant and weed her flower gardens. She picks and arranges. Actually, by using lots of hay mulch there are very few weeds in either the flower gardens or the vegetable garden. The few weeds that manage to grow are easily pulled because the hay mulch keeps the ground so evenly moist.

I am learning some useful lessons with this new garden. The incredible level of production is beyond my wildest expectations. I've grown vegetables for many years, but not like these. Some of my tomato plants are 8' tall and still growing. My green bean bushes are generally 2' tall, but this year they reached 3'+ before Bambi trimmed them back. The green peppers are superb. I'm giving cucumbers to everyone I know. The lettuce and spinach are starting to bolt, but none of the lettuce or spinach has been bitter. I attribute all of this year's success to the heavy use of hay mulch. Next year I will use higher cattle panel arches and will also cover the panels with either shade cloth or row covers to discourage Bambi from browsing on the veggies.

I sketched the raised garden frame shown above, but one may not want to make it quite so high. Perhaps only use two boards, instead of three, because of the vegetable height that results from using hay mulch.

Your hubby would really like working in a flower bed or vegetable garden that has had heavy hay mulch. The amount of dig, dig, dig... goes away or is seriously reduced. The amount of artificial fertilizer used is zip. Lots of organic compost rototilled into the bed when established, then lots of hay mulch. It's very easy to work the soil after the hay has been down a while, and it just gets better every year.

I've read that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, last Sunday a neighbor friend and his wife were here for a social visit. I'd seen his garden and suggested he try the hay mulch approach. Yeah. Yeah. While he was here, he looked at our flower and veggie beds and said, "I'll be back Tuesday and get some mulch." Today he borrowed my utility trailer, loaded his truck and trailer twice with hay mulch and told me he will be back tomorrow for more. I think he's become a Ruth Stout convert.

I appreciate your nice words and I told my wife "Hello" from you.

Later,
Ed

Hey Ed,

Your wife is a wise woman...of course we get everything! (wink!)

Hay mulch, huh? And where would I get me some of this? Hubby is intrigued!

Sharon

Hey Sharon,

I don't know where you folks live, but unless you are in the middle of NYC you are probably close to some farms.

Hay mulch is simply spoiled bales of hay that are separated into pieces (usually called flakes) about 3"-4" thick. When hay bales are made, the hay is pressed into pressed blocks (flakes) that are allowed to get about 4' long and are then tied with twine or wire. The flakes of spoiled hay are placed on the ground between plants and some hay is pushed up against the plant stems.

You are not looking for loose or round bales. Also, NEVER use hay that has had weed herbicide applied to the hay when it was growing. Sometimes, the residual herbicide on the hay will kill your veggies and flowers.

Farmers frequently have spoiled hay. In my case I had 500 bales under a tarp last year. While we were away from home visiting relatives out of state a storm came through and ripped open my new, no-rip, high quality, hay tarp. Thus, 500 bales of hay got soaking wet and were ruined. I was able to salvage about 200 bales, but gave a lot to a neighbor who operates an organic CSA. The rest of the hay I let decompose and put it our new garden and am giving some to my friend who was here today.

To locate spoiled hay you might post an ad on the bulletin board of your local farm store, or put a small ad in the local paper, or put an ad on Craigslist. Something to the effect, "Wanted spoiled hay for free or cheap." Most farmers who have spoiled small bales want to get rid of them, because they usually take up space needed for something else. Also, you might call your local agricultural extension office and ask if they know who might have spoiled hay available.

If you have a friend with a trailer and a pickup you can drive out to the farm and pick up the hay. Or, hire someone to pick it up and deliver it to your house. Sometimes garden centers have spoiled hay or straw, but my observations have been that they charge too much for it. Spoiled hay should be free or at best $.10 - $.20 a bale, plus delivery charges.

If you pick it up yourself it's a good idea to take a pitchfork with you, but since most non-farmers don't have pitchborks, then a potato fork might also work. A fork is helpful if the twine is broken on the bales. A fork also makes loading easier than trying to load broken bales by hand. A fork also makes it easier to place the hay mulch in your garden.

While you're at it you might want to look for some composted horse manure. Riding stables want to give the manure away while its still "green" (not composted). You would probably prefer horse manure that has been composted. Work the composted horse manure into the ground around your roses and they will respond very nicely. I noticed in your profile that you have 33 roses. When I lived in Georgia I have about 200 hybrid teas in beds in the back yard. A lot of work. Even supplied enough white roses one time for a neighbor girl's wedding. Here, I only have two large J&P floribundas out at the front gate.

I suggest that you do a search on Gardenweb or Google for "Ruth Stout." Mrs. Stout is now deceased, but was something of a maverick in the 1960's and 1970's. She published several gardening books. One was titled, "No-Work Garden Book." It's not actually, "No Work," but her hay mulch techniques result in a heck of lot less work. If you search for one of her earlier books on Half.com or Amazon.com you might be able to buy one for little or nothing.

Hope this helps.

Ed

Hi Ed!
I'm sorry, I forgot to check back last night!
We live in Texas and yes, I can probably find some hay around here somewhere! Grin!
But does the hay smell if it's spoiled? I'm not crazy about the smell of it when it's fresh! (city girl here too!)
And horse manure...do I hafta???? ick! (wink!)
I will look up Ruth Stout and see what she had to say!
200 hundred teas...oh my! I would have been in heaven! I mis-counted...I actually have 37...well until today when I rescued 11 micro-mini roses from the local grocery store...so I guess I have 48 now! It's addictive, isn't it!

Sharon

Hello Sharon,

About 15 years ago we lived in Dallas (actually Plano). My East Coast wife tells people, "We did time in Texas." We owned one of those 10,000 sf houses built on a 10,000 sf lot, with a 50,000 gallon pool, everything fenced in, had to water the foundation of our house in the summertime so that it wouldn't crack and no place to have a garden. Daily weather forecast, high temp today in the triple digits, strong damaging winds, possible hail, lightning & thunder late afternoon storms. Not one single mature tree in the entire subdivision. Streets laid out and mapped all the way from Dallas to the Oklahoma state line. I'm originally from Nebraska, so wide open spaces didn't bother me, but DW was happy to move to Virginia.

About hay smell. The smell of hay depends on what type of hay it is. If it is newly cut alfalfa, then yes it will have a strong smell for quite some time, but the smell normally subsides as the hay cures. Many people like the smell of newly cut hay. You may not. Most grass hay does not smell very much at all. I cut and bale fescue with clover and various rye grasses mixed in. It has little or no smell.

Spoiled hay most likely won't smell much when it is first ruined. As it decomposes it will often develop internal mold that is not harmful to people or plants. Hay mulch will sometimes develop a good mold where the mulch touches the earth. Don't fret about that mold, its good for the decomposition and the worms and good bugs love it. I think that's why I haven't had any serious bug problems with this garden. My observation is that all the bug action takes place in the lower parts of the mulch and the plants are so healthy that the bugs don't harm them. Very few bad bugs this year. The lady bugs are plentiful here and kill lots of aphids. I was surprised that there were no potato beetles on my cukes this year.

After the hay mulch has been in place for a while, it will begin to develop a nice "earthy" smell that is associated with high quality compost and good dirt. My suggestion is to use plain grass hay and not use alfalfa. Some folks use straw (wheat or oat) but my view is that straw does not have the same nutrient content as hay because there is little or no green material in straw. Thus, the nutrient value to the soil isn't there. Just my $.02 worth.

Some folks are afraid to use hay mulch because they think there will be too many weed seeds and they will end up with a garden full of weeds. My experience has been that while there may be weed seeds in the hay mulch, by the time it has decomposed and as thick as it is the seeds just don't germinate. Also, I intensively plant and there is little space for weeds and little sunlight for them. If a weed does pop up it is easily pulled. If a bunch of weeds try and grow, I just toss some more hay on top of them and that stops them because they get no sunlight. I've also been known to stomp on weeds now and then.

Horse manure. Now that does smell when it is "fresh" or "green." You don't want to use that. Instead, buy composted horse manure which shouldn't have much or any horsey manure smell at all. If you have the space, hubby could have another "dirty" job and make your own composted horse manure. Personally, I'd probably just buy a pickup load of composted horse manure and be done with it. If you don't like the idea of working with horse manure, you might hire someone to work a load into the soil around your roses.

Yeah, my teas kinda got out of hand, but I don't smoke, drink, gamble or chase women, so I had to have some kind of a vice. Yes, it was addictive, but DW always had fresh roses in the house and the house smelled great.

Let me know what you learn about Ruth Stout and what you think of her ideas. She was one of a kind.

Later,
Ed

Hi Ed,
Native Texan here! Born in Amarillo and grew up in Wichita Falls! We moved to the DFW area 7 years ago, but have lived all over the country.

You wouldn't even recognize Plano now...it is a major city of it's own now...just huge and absolutely crammed full of people! It's incredible!

We live north of Fort Worth in a little town called Azle. About 9,000 people here and we live out by Eagle Mountain Lake. We have a corner lot, so we have a big yard in front and back. Have lived here about 7 years, and haven't done much with it until this year!

I had three lonely roses that I planted when we first moved here (I don't even remember what they are...I know one is a Peace rose, but not sure of the other two). Now I have all these new ones! I'm in rose heaven! So far, I've had pretty good luck with all of them, but two. Not too bad, I'd say. And my personal motto is "if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!) grin!

I have four "test" roses coming in the spring from Jackson and Perkins, and ordered three new ones from Heirloom yesterday...shhhh! Don't tell hubby!

And then I have my little micro mini's from yesterday...I have been soaking them and they look a little perkier today.

I'm intrigued with the hay/manure idea. We started a little compost pile in back of our little barn/shed...and when I asked hubby yesterday if he had turned it lately, he said "you have to turn it?" sigh...we're learning, we're learning!

So, I'm curious...how come you only have two roses now? It must have been hard to leave 200 roses! And vice...what vice...i don't see no vice here! wink!

It's been nice getting to know you, my new friend!

Sharon

Howdy Sharon,

Ah yes, Amarillo. The windy city of the South. Passed through there several times. Like Nebraska, Amarillo is a great place to "be from." You gotta be "from" somewhere. I'm a Cornhusker by birth, but a Virginian by choice. I have a cousin who lives in Wichita Falls and we used visit her once in a while. Know where you folks live because we used to take drives on weekends just to get away from the crush and craziness of the city. Still have friends living in Cisco. Do you folks spend any time down at the Stockyards?

Used to fly in and out of DFW airport and would drive straight North and then East to Plano so as to avoid the beltway around Dallas. The North-South expressway was just being built while we were there. Can't imagine what the traffic must be like these days. I worked in Richardson and the commute from Plano was bad enough those many years ago. The question is how long before the DFW sprawl gobbles up Azle?

Growing roses is like being an alcoholic. One is too many and 10,000 are not enough. Like you said, "addictive."

About turning compost. Yes, most everybody turns their compost piles and often move the piles into various bin arrangements, usually three bins. That's a lot of work. It's been my experience that once you've layered "green-brown-green-brown..." and the compost pile has started to work, just let it decompose on its own. Maybe have several piles of compost created at various times. When the oldest one has decomposed to earthy brown compost, if there is some stuff that hasn't completely decomposed, simply throw it on the next pile that is still working.

In Texas you'll probably have to wet the piles sometimes, but nature takes care of the rotting process. Of course, if you're in a hurry and don't want to wait a year of more, then you'll have to do the turning thing. My time is valuable to me and turning compost is not my idea of having a good time. Of course me being lazy I'd turn a compost pile using a tractor and front-end loader. In short, I've never found a good reason to turn a working compost pile, except to get the decomposition done sooner. I never get in that big of a hurry.

With hay mulch you won't need to turn anything. The mulch decomposes right where it is. If earthworms don't show up on their own you might buy a few pounds and toss them into the pile. Are there any earthworms in Texas? 8Why only two roses? Is it because I'm a recovering rose addict? Not really. Mostly it's been a time issue. When we bought this farm it was a disaster. It was sold as an "historic farmstead," which basically meant that all the buildings and land were a mess. The house was built in 1891 and we are only the second family to ever live in it. But the location is fabulous.

I hauled off ten tons of junk, tore down several delapidated buildings, cleared fields, built fences, planted an orchard, but spent most of my time completely restoring the house -- my city wife's priority. The inside of the house is now completely finished and 80% of the outside work on the house is done.

Now, I'm focused on changing the livestock operation and am in the process of building new corrals, water systems, etc. This month I'm contracting for some Registered Black Angus bred heifers. I figure I have enough work to last me for about ten years after I die. My farm is my gym.

So, maybe when everything settles down I'll plant a few more roses. I plant and maintain several perennial flower beds for DW and include some annuals. Also have a bunch of hostas and azaleas, plus several holly trees.

Hope you do well with your garden. I think once hubby gets the hang of using hay mulch he'll be glad he put it down.

Take care,
Ed

Hi Ed,

Who is your cousin in Wichita Falls, maybe I know them.
Yes, we go to the Stockyards quite a bit. My husband is a musician and he plays down there frequently. I love that place!
I hope the big crush of humanity doesn't invade Azle too much! We just got our very own Walmart -woohoo! But there are more and more people moving in all the time. Our schools are stretched to capacity!
There was an ad in our paper today for haybales for $4...I think I'll get a couple to try here in the garden. I was putting up pictures today to post in the Rose forum, and as I was almost ready to check them all...I lost everything...Agrhhh! Maybe I'll try again tomorrow...I was disgusted with myself today!
It was not a good gardening day today. Seems like I stumbled all over the yard, and I get so frustrated that I can't bend over to pull weeds and such. And hubby, bless his heart, was transplanting a couple of forlorn roses for me, and he was being so rough with them. Tears shed for roses..sheesh! What a girl I am!
Well, as Scarlett says, tomorrow is another day!
Sounds like you have your hands very very full with the farm! I bet it's gorgeous now! I know the pictures of your beds were just wonderful! But don't forget your roses! wink!

TTYL,
Sharon

Hi Sharon,

Busy, busy weekend. I emailed you the information about my cousin.

What instrument does your hubby play?

My neighbor friend took truckloads of hay mulch all day Friday and several more on Saturday and said he'll be back on Monday for a few extra loads. Well, I couldn't resist so I took him some lettuce, cukes and BIG tomatoes and looked over his use of the hay mulch. He not only loaded up his garden with it, but has it all around his house foundation plants. I think he likes the idea. 8This afternoon I started picking my second crop of raspberries from the same plants that produced earlier in the year. They are Latham berries and produced very well in May. Then they put up new canes, flowered and are putting out a second crop. I didn't know raspberries would do that.

Apples are starting to come in too. I have several varieties in our little orchard. So, the kitchen counters are loaded up with cukes, tomatoes, apples, bell peppers, raspberries, etc. DW has her hands full.

Ate several BLT's for supper tonight. Yummy for the tummy! Several varieties of tomatoes, but am impressed by the great flavor of the beefsteaks, big boys and Rutgers. In prior years those tomatoes had good flavor, but with the hay mulch this year they have really great flavor.

Good luck with the roses. I'll plan on adding some more here when my workload permits.

Gotta go. Lots of work tomorrow.

Regards,
Ed