Planting veggie garden and adding irrigation

Yesterday we did our traditional Mother’s Day activity of preparing and planting the veggie garden. I also added some improved irrigation.

Over the winter, the chickens get to enjoy going in the veggie garden, providing a helpful service of clearing out the plants and keeping it weed-free. So the first thing was to close the gate and hole in the fence from the chicken runs, so they no longer have access, which always confuses and frustrates them for a little while.

That done, Jenn brought the veggie plants out of the greenhouse, while I used a mattock to break up the compacted soil:

I also added some fresh soil. Here’s a prepared bed:

While Jenn planted the veggies, I added improved irrigation on a couple of the beds:

We had previously used soaker hoses, which don’t really provide the water in the best spots, and tend to fail regularly. This irrigation tubing and emitters should work better:

Here’s a view of the whole garden from the west gate:

We rotate the crops each year. This time, the southwest (SW) bed contains roma and cherry tomatoes:

The NW bed is still using a soaker hose for now, though I’ve bought some irrigation emitters for it and other beds yet to be converted. It contains a single pumpkin plant (since one is enough to take over half the garden), plus lettuce, kale, and a couple of corn sprouted from seeds:

The NE bed contains corn (a different variety) and onion:

SE: tomatillos, jalapeños, and zucchini; the second bed with the new irrigation:

One of the reasons for the berry cage is to keep the chickens out, along with wild birds, so the plants don’t get eaten each winter. The SW bed contains everbearing strawberries:

The NW berry cage bed has Hood strawberries:

The SE bed has gooseberries, red currants, and huckleberries:

The NE bed has blueberries:

And the north bed has hops:

This morning I briefly flew my drone for an aerial view of the veggie garden and berry cage:

A closer view of veggie garden side:

And part of the berry cage side:

An angled view of both (and part of the chicken runs):