Gardens at Bethany
The gardens at Bethany are a dream in the process of being realized. Each member of our team brings different skills and hopes to the garden from creating beauty, a meditative space for prayer and spiritual centering, freedom to move and play, or a perfect, juicy tomato.
From the vision to reality:
Incredible work has been accomplished in the past year, by all those removing trash, and cutting, sawing, chopping and carrying an almost indescribable amount of brush, dead wood, and trees. A truckload of compost was brought in last fall, and a bed for the herb garden was prepared. During construction there We planted grass and flowers and rocks left by our contractor have been removed We have the results of soil tests run on samples we sent in. The results tell us what we have, and what we need to do next:
From the vision to reality:
Incredible work has been accomplished in the past year, by all those removing trash, and cutting, sawing, chopping and carrying an almost indescribable amount of brush, dead wood, and trees. A truckload of compost was brought in last fall, and a bed for the herb garden was prepared. During construction there We planted grass and flowers and rocks left by our contractor have been removed We have the results of soil tests run on samples we sent in. The results tell us what we have, and what we need to do next:
- The good news: The 3 basic nutrients--potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous--are in good to very good supply. The amount of organic matter is at a good level.
- The rest of the news: The soil testing showed one of the task needing immediate attention is the pH of the soil. It is highly alkaline, and must have sulfur amendment added. Based on feedback from experts in the field and some smart friends, alkaline soil makes growing vegetables difficult. The results of soil testing also showed higher than acceptable levels of arsenic and lead.
- Current projects and tasks: The soil results were reasonable considering the age of the property and while not a green light to immediately start planting the tomato plants we were envisioning; we have options that will allow us to harvest veggies and herbs in due time. The following are tasks that we are aiming to do summer and fall 2016 to prepare the earth for planting: Building another compost bin, creating raised beds with barriers to prevent any toxicity from entering the food crops, and planting ornamentals.