We were finally able to put in our vegetable garden. Many factors caused delays in getting plants in the ground - a rouge chicken, rain, human error and time being the biggest issues!

My preference when planting anything in the ground is to use a heavy mulch method - other names are a no till garden, Back to Eden Garden & a variation of Lasagna Gardening. There are SO many good resources online for each of these methods. The Back to Eden Documentary is really great and worth the time if you’re interested in learning more.

Our first step was to remove grass and weeds with tilling. Tilling is not the preferred method for prepping beds but considering that we were pressed for time and that this area had never been a garden before we had very few choices. Once the area was tilled we put down a thick layer of compost, planted and then once the plants begin to grow in we put down a very thick layer of mulch around the plants. As the plants grow in we go back in and mulch around the plant.

This heavy mulching method is very helpful in the Texas heat. With a heavy layer of mulch I only need to water 1 - 2x a week in the heat of the summer ~ a huge time and money saver for us

This year we are growing green beans, spinach, cucumber, okra, yellow squash, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, tomato, basil, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, blackberries, ground cherries and we are about to put in our very own pumpkin patch! It has been so much fun watching little seeds grow into full size plants. Such a testament to how God provides and equips us! #homesteading #farmtotable #mackadoofarms #mackadoofarm #gardening #backtoedengardening #vegetablegarden #notillmethod