Prepping and Planting a Garden Bed

Nourish Wellness visited Merritt College Landscape Horticulture Department today. We cultivated and planted one of their in-ground food security beds.

Department staff and students harvest the vegetables grown in the Land Hort food security beds. The food is donated to the Mercy Brown Bag program, who provides  supplemental nutrition to seniors.

BEFORE

Added fertilizer and 2-3 inches of soil to raise the level of the in-ground bed.

Pulled back irrigation line before adding soil.

Relaid irrigation line atop prepped bed.

Figuring spacing for tree collards .

Transplanting demo

Tree collards surrounded by straw, (mulch).

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The in-ground bed that we replanted today, had sunk due to organic material breaking down over time. This caused the bed to be level with the pathways. We followed the steps below to raise up the bed, and plant.

1. Weed the bed. (This step had already been done.)
2. Pull back irrigation lines.
3. Add a layer of compost on the bed, or sprinkle granular fish fertilizer instead.
4. Add 2-3 inches of soil. This will raise the level of the bed, so that it's higher than the pathway.
5. Re-lay irrigation lines.
6. Figure out spacing for plants. 
7. Plant!
8. Place mulch, (straw), around plants. 
9. Sprinkle Sluggo around plants. (Sluggo is a non-toxic product that helps protect plants from            slugs and snails, and can be used in organic gardens.) OPTIONAL
10. Water in the tree collards.
11. Wet down the mulch.

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