We have again added bed space to the Energy Garden, this
time in the shape of a mandala. Utilizing techniques from Gaia’s Garden
by Toby Hemenway, we are slowly building the hardpan barren “lawn”, read: super
invasive bermuda grass and clumps of dead sod, into nutrient rich humus. As double
digging was near impossible, we are letting the worms to the work by creating a
sheet mulch close to 18 inches thick.

First we created the design for the area and then marked the
edges of the mandala on the earth. Next we began creating the bed. Otherwise
known as lasagna gardening, we chopped away some of the clumps of grass and started
with an inch layer of manure. We followed that with cardboard, then with an
inch or two of organic vineyard compost from Grab and Grow in Sebastopol. According
to the grab and grow website, it is “made
from a simple blend of grape pumice, green waste and oyster shell flour, this compost
has no manures or supplemental nitrogen fertilizers added to this high
potassium mix.

This was
followed by a single “book” layer of wheat straw, then with another inch or two
of mango mulch. “It doesn’t have any mangos in it, but it does have horse and
cow manure to supply basic nutrients; grape and apple pumice which are high in
beneficial bacteria and yeasts to aid with the breakdown of organic matter;
rice hulls and straw for good soil tilth; soft rock phosphate and greensand to
boost the phosphorous and potassium.” This was followed by a layer of alfalfa
straw and wheat straw mixed together. We will plant by opening pockets in about
a month.

Next we created
the paths by laying burlap bags donated by Taylor Made Farms in Sebastopol. On
top of the burlap we put down woodchips. The irrigation was then laid under the
straw. We have also sheet mulched and
prepared a new berry patch next to the sunflowers and driveway in the front of
the house. In an epic battle with the Bermuda grass we have also sheet mulched
all of the paths on the property with cardboard and woodchips. We hacked down
most of it and hope it never comes back. It looks great right now.

Before...

After... let the worms do the digging!