Deanna Taylor

Zone 8b, partial shade

I have been offered some space to garden in my in-law's yard. It's been sorely neglected and needs some restoration work before it will flourish. What would you suggest I do between now and Spring to nourish and amend the soil, and what crop suggestions do you have for next year?

Some background; this space was set up with raised beds approximately 30 years ago. Over the past 15 years the beds have been left fallow, unamended, and unweeded. Two years ago the raised beds were torn down (by brother in-law) and the soil was leveled out and roto-tilled; no compost or manure was added, and no weed control steps were taken. Some seeds were planted, but the results were unsatisfactory. This past year the space has laid fallow, completely untouched. Now it is the end of the year, first frost has arrived, but the ground is not yet frozen solid. I have been asked to prepare the soil and plant it next year - with the expectation that if all goes well I will continue to have use of this plot for as long as I continue to steward the space.

My questions are:
Is it too late to add compost and/or manure to add nutrients?
What additional steps would you recommend before spring planting?
What types of crops would you suggest for next year's plantings (I was thinking three sisters, but am concerned that it may be too shady)?

Thank you for the welcome. I will be sure to add links whenever I mention an online source.

Nancy Reading wrote:Have you thought about other livestock, could rabbits, or quail perhaps be an alternative to chickens for you? Alternatively wildlife can be encouraged to visit the garden. Birds and bats are ones that could contribute significant amounts of manure perhaps.

I considered rabbits after our chicken permit was declined - but the City's livestock limitations are in place for those too. They are:

Livestock Limitations
On properties where livestock is permitted, the following limits are in place:

2 livestock for every 0.4 hectare (1 acre) with the minimum lot size of 0.4 hectare (1 acre)

6 sheep or goats for every 0.4 hectare (1 acre) with the minimum lot size of 0.4 hectare (1 acre)

12 head of poultry, excluding roosters, for every 0.4 hectare (1 acre) with the minimum lot size of 0.4 hectare (1 acre) **

2 rabbits or chinchillas for every 0.4 hectare (1 acre) with no minimum lot size

** Despite Sub-section 7(a) of Zoning Bylaw, the keeping of chickens may be permitted in the RA, RA-G, RH, RH-G, RF, RF-SS, and RF-G Zones, where the lot is greater than 669 square meters (7,200 sq. ft.) but less than 0.4 hectares (1 acre). Certain limitations apply. Keeping of hens is subject to the Chicken Keeping Bylaw. See our raising backyard chickens web page for more details.

At first, I read these and assumed the rabbits were not allowed - but upon looking at them today it looks like I could have up to 2 rabbits. Our lot is 7,167sf... so close! I will discuss the possibility of rabbits with the landlord, though. As to wildlife, we have been attracting and feeding the wild birds here for decades. I'd like to add nesting boxes around the beds to encourage some to stay in the area for better insect control. I am concerned about the danger of a few of my neighbours' cats attacking the nesting birds, though. I know there are bats around - but haven't considered ways to attract them to my yard - that is something I will have to research more.

Helen Atthowe grows regeneratively without livestock (apart from some vole deterring dogs and cats!). She does a lot of composting in situ on the growing beds with both crop residues, chop and drop intercrop plants, and hay/grass clippings from elsewhere and between beds to create a vibrant soil community.

Thank you for the video! I am planning to provide spaces for vermicomposting in my beds (I have a worm tower with red wrigglers and a robust population that will be utilized). I hope this will give lots of healthy and bio-available nutrients to the underbeds. It is reassuring to see an example where the livestock element is not mandatory to create a living ecosystem.

Rachel Lindsay wrote:Fueled by a recent read (The Beginner's Landscape Transformation Manual), upon the author's recommendation (p.135) I plan to grow sorrels, Jerusalem artichokes, yarrow, and squashes particularly as mulch makers this year.

I've added this book to my shelf of want-to-read books. I'd much rather find a way to provide mulch from my local biome rather than have to purchase and transport some in. I'm also guessing that some vegetation lends itself well to mulching for this purpose - while others might be better suited for the compost instead. I'll give the book a read before I finalize my planting list!

Thanks for the welcome! I've been browsing the forums for quite a while - just soaking it all in - but finally figured it was time to jump in and participate.

Our city permits chickens, so we are going to get 4 backyard chickens this spring, and will be composting their manure to use in our postage-stamp-sized vegetable garden. I hope your town/city will allow them soon, too.

Our city does allow chickens, I applied for a permit last year and got declined. Our lot is just shy of the square foot requirements. Before the permit was declined I had plans to place the chicken run area and the vegetable garden areas side by side, with each being independently fenced-in so the chickens could be let into the vegetable garden to work the beds in at the end of each season.

Also, I am planning to try to grow my own mulch plants to chop'n'drop.

What kind of plants are you thinking? I was planning on just using the greenery from the plants I planted that season (minus the powdery mildew-prone ones like tomato and squash leaves) and topping up with some straw or hay to give a nice thick layer. Or, are you thinking of an off-season cover crop?

10 mins. away is a farmer whose horse manure I can bring back home, and although it's an off-site source, it will be good for the garden while I have access. Maybe you can find something similar?

There are several riding associations and a large horse rescue within a 40-minute drive. I'm hoping I can source some good manure from a couple of them when it's needed.

How do you apply regenerative farming methods to your urban garden setting? Specifically, small-scale vegetable gardening where you cannot utilize the benefits of animal impacts.

By regenerative farming methods, I am thinking of the tenets of soil health that were outlined by Gabe Brown in "Treating the Farm as an Ecosystem with Gabe Brown Part 1, The 5 Tenets of Soil Health" (it can be found on the YouTube
channel Living Web Farms - I don't know if I'm allowed to post links).

I'm thinking that mulch and chop and drop techniques can help build up the 'armor of the earth', but am stuck when trying to come up with ideas to mimic the effects of animal impact. Of course, adding manure is an option - but is that all that I can achieve when the by-laws prevent me from having anything but a dog or a cat in my yard?

What other methods would be beneficial to help me build the ecosystem in my backyard garden?