I started my no-dog garden (pix)

I laid down some chicken wire first as my feeble attempt to prevent the sort of gopher devastation I had last year. I used three foot wide stuff and tied the seam together with wire. 1 foot of wire will act as walls on each side. The I laid down cardboard that has been out in the recent rains. I wetted that down and laid on newspaper, approx 4 sheets thick. This was also wetted. Then I sprinkled on two bags of steer Limbaugh. That was wetted. Then I put down the alfalfa hay. This was watered. Tomorrow, I will sprinkle on my compost (with earthworms), and then apply the straw. I'll let that all sit a couple of weeks and then start planting.

The shed will shade the afternoon sun, but this is in the desert area of SoCal north of LA and we get a huge amount of sun and heat in summer so I don't think it will hurt too much.

I'm thinking of using clean straw as mulch on my vegetable beds this year to cut down on the water use. It sounds as if the alfalfa will be your mulch. Is that right?

We use plenty of "steer Limbaugh" here too.

The cardboard and newspaper will kill the bermuda grass and attract earthworms. That's what they say, anyway. There seems to be as many ways of doing this as there are people writing about it, but the hay and the straw are common to most. Water retention is important as it is so hot here during summer. Not digging is a minor advantage. wait, I mean HUUUUUUUGE advantage! :-)

Some links:
http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-nodig12-2008jun12,0,55177.story
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-06-01/No-Dig-Garden-Beds.aspx
http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/raised-vegetable-garden.html
http://organicgardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/building_a_nodig_garden

Worked really well.

I added the home made compost (with LOTS of earthworms) on top of the alfalfa and dusted that with blood meal and bone meal. I wetted it, then put on the straw. I wetted that, and then added some commercial top soil. I hope this works. I will keep the forum aprised of the results.





Here is my fuzzy friend who is plotting a path to get at all of that yummy blood meal.

:blush: