Creating a Large Vegetable Garden at My Farm
The episode of "Martha Gardens" showing the huge garden transformation at my Bedford, New York farm is now available on the Roku Channel!
You may have seen glimpses of my new vegetable garden on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, or on themarthablog.com. Earlier this year, I decided to create a new vegetable garden closer to my Winter House in a large half-acre space previously used as paddock for my five donkeys. The first step was to draw up a very precise map showing the box frames measuring from 5' by 10' to 8' by 70'. We removed the sod from those areas, rototilled the soil, returned the sod pieces upside down, constructed the boxes out of white oak planks, fertilized each bed, and then filled them with nutrient rich soil. It took a few weeks to complete the project, but the end result is fantastic - and we've already planted so many delicious vegetables!
Here are some photos and be sure to watch "Martha Gardens" on the Roku Channel to see this garden come alive.
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- If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize this fenced in pasture. Although I had long used it for my five dear donkeys, I decided it would be a wonderful location for my new vegetable garden – close to my home, easy to access, and filled with nutrient rich soil. It was perfect.
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- Before we could start any construction, I first did a lot of measuring with my team. Here, we measured 15-feet from the fence on the inside, so my Polaris Ranger off-road vehicle would fit when I toured the garden.
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- Here, we spray painted lines indicating where the boxes would go. We followed a very detailed drawing – I planned exactly what would grow where and how big each bed would be.
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- Next, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, cut the sod around every outlined space. This is our new Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter – it cuts so precisely in so little time.
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- Here is one area where we removed the sod.
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- The sod was rolled up and neatly placed to the side – nothing would be wasted at all, wait and see.
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- Here is what the garden looked like when all the sod was removed showing the exact size of the raised bed frames still to be made. The areas matched our map perfectly.
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- Then, we called in Phurba – our resident rototilling expert here at the farm. Phurba rototilled every bed twice, going down at least eight inches of the existing soil.
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- Here is the soil of one beds completely rototilled. A rototiller can help break up soil and turn it over for fresh planting. It is also good for working in compost and other soil additives.
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- For the wood, I called our friends from New England Antique Lumber. Mauricio Guevara is a skilled lumberer, master woodworker and restorer. He and his wife, Patricia, own New England Antique Lumber Inc., in Mount Kisco, New York – and specialize in salvaging reclaimed timbers, and creating custom wood pieces. They found lots of beautiful white oak that was perfect for this project.
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- Look how gorgeous these planks are. I was very fortunate to find someone who had all this wood.
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- Here, Mauricio guides Pete to where the planks would stay until the it was time to bring them into the garden.
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- My property manager, Doug White, measures and cuts the wood for each bed.
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- Meanwhile, the sod is returned to the beds upside down. That’s right, the grass will die without the light, and eventually, everything will mix into the soil.
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- As each plank was cut, it was placed into position where it would be used to build the box frames. Some have already been built in the background.
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- All the building is done by Doug, Fernando and Pete. They worked very hard.
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- Here’s Pete hammering in the corner stakes to ensure all the sides are secured properly.
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- Fernando helps to hold each piece in line. This day was cold and rainy, but the crew persevered.
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- Here is the soil – Scott’s Organic Soil, which is mixed in combination with my own composted soil made here at the farm.
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- All the beds were thoroughly fertilized.
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- And the bags of soil were emptied into the beds.
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- This machine was also brought in to help install a rubber hose under the ground for irrigation. I added three hose bibs in this space for watering.
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- Look at all the beautiful beds ready to be planted.
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- Here I am with the Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter after the entire garden was completed – I am so pleased with how it all turned out. What do you think?
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- And here is the garden on the first day of planting. I am so excited to see the magnificent vegetables this garden grows. It will be a fantastic harvest. Stay tuned.
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