We had another successful workday in the garden thanks to our volunteers: Kris Berthold, Merlin Hall, Julie Lambert, Megan Riordan, Cinnamin Rivers, Scott Rock, Sam Sanderson, Kellynn Sembera and Jacob Sullivan.
Our goal was to install a single raised-bed, start to finish. The build team put down the cardboard, constructed the bed frame in the parking lot and then carried the frame into place. After the frame was leveled and one end raised to give the proper 1% slope, plywood was used to cover any large gaps between the frame the ground. Thanks to our neighbors at Designer Land Care, we have access to tree trimmings that were used to mulch around the bed.
The only thing left to do for this bed is put in the soil. Because we raised the bed frame to give the proper slope, the bed will need additional soil – as will most of the others that need any significant elevation adjustments. This will increase our soil costs, but it benefits the vegetables by having increased planting depths and proper drainage slopes.
BAUUC Community Garden 
Nice. Can’t find the FB page though. Was going to share my pics…
Here’s the link to our Facebook page.
You should also be able to find a link to our Facebook page at the bottom of the right-hand column of this blog page.
Thanks for your help and your photos Kris.
The Three Sisters
Corn, Beans, Squash. The three sisters have been the main agricultural crops of Native Americans for centuries. Each tribe has it’s own legends, rituals and stories about the Three Sisters, all believe the three crops were inseparable gifts of the Spirit. In the Iroquois creation myth, the daughter of Sky Woman died while giving birth to twin boys. From her grave grew three sacred plants – corn, beans, and squash – which provided food for her sons and all humanity.
The three crops benefit each other in the garden: Corn provides the pole or trellis for the beans to climb, bean provide nitrogen for the soil, and squash crawls along the ground crowding out weeks and providing mulch, which helps retain moisture. The prickly hairs of the squash deter pests and predators, and as the beans grow, they help stabilize the tipsy corn stalks. A simple sustainable system. – From Edible Traditions, by Barb Parisien.
Love your garden! And your compost bins! Your Compost Crank® will be arriving this Friday, December 23rd. Happy Holidays. Our suggestion to you would be to get your compost into your garden soil to hold in the moisture you will have, your plants will be at their healthiest, and plant native seed (in Tucson we can purchase from Native Seed Search, don’t know what you have in your area, check online), so your water needs will be minimal, then mulch to cut down on evaporation. And enjoy the benefits of all your hard work! Sorry about your drought. Check with your local University Co-operative Extension Office for gardening advice on your area.
Thank you very much Sharon. I look forward to trying it out and will be happy to spread the word about your product.
-Patrick
You are so welcome, our pleasure. Good luck with your project, we will follow you guys. Thank you, Patrick!
Good article! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the great writing.