As far as animals go, we’ve got it pretty good. A nice brain chock full of regions that make us decide to do things like grow gardens, invent shovels, and watch Bill O’Reilly. Handy upright posture so that we can be forced to stoop awkwardly while using the shovels in our gardens. Big grippy hands with thumbs for indicating when we are in favor of something or if we are displeased or if we like Fonzi.
But for me the best reason to have thumbs is that you can use it with your forefinger to make a fake gun in your sweatshirt pocket and threaten others until they do your work for you. It’s really what our DNA wants us to do.
Today I was reminded of the fake gun idea while I was shoveling in the garden. Physics requires that you get some leverage on that shovel and that means bending and pushing and pulling and hitting rocks and using the f word. What’s with being so tall compared to the ground? Sure we can bend on our flexible spines, but our discs don’t like that so much. Nice going evolution.
At first I blamed Darwin, but I realized he didn’t really invent evolution he just put some observations around it. So then I blamed my forefathers. But I realized it wasn’t really their fault either because they were at the mercy of some common ancestor. I kept walking the blame back and decided that one-celled organisms were to blame. But then I got confused because some of my best friends are one-celled organisms. I didn’t mean it compost! You know I love your earthy richness and your microbial cornucopia!
After spending some time simply sobbing to myself at such a weighty conundrum, I just kept digging. The plan (there you go pesky brain, always thinking) is to keep my raised beds raised. In the pathways between my beds I keep everything tamped down with mulch or landscaping fabric. Today I peeled up the fabric (squealed with girlish delight at the worms and black soil) and began trenching. All there is to it is to dig down into the pathways and toss the new soil up on the beds. You get a double whammy of lowering the pathways and raising the beds. The new soil is rich from a year of quiet compaction. This year I’m going to use straw on the pathways. It’s just easier.
I like to keep my beds at least 8 inches off the ground. To see a very cool application of this, check out the shibaguyz. They’re either more highly evolved than I or just stronger. Probably both.
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I think I’m going to have to take this idea and run with it, especially in these early years while I’m still trying to build up the depth and quality of my soil.
Not this weekend though…my garden is currently lying under 6 inches of snow.
Oh my! 6 inches of snow? Well, it’s possible we’ll get some more snow. I hope not, but it could happen.
Truthfully doing the digging is required for me because I have never framed my beds. Some day i might, but not so far! So the soil just topples off throughout the year and i’ve got to plunk it back on.
Okay, please don’t blame poor Darwin—who seems to get an inordinate amount of grief already—or those hapless one-celled organisms. instead, bear in mind that our evolutionary ancestors were designed to swing through trees, not till the soil! Damn those monkeys anyway.
Agree Ben! You know me.. I am a huge fan of Darwin. Leave the guy alone already!
This is hysterical. You really should be writing your own syndicated column. Seriously…
Hmmm… would somebody syndicate me and my little garden? I’ll make millions!
Hadn’t thought of digging into the paths to raise the beds. Clever. By the way, I keep reading about how raised beds heat up faster than flat soil in spring, thus extending the growing season. Why don’t they just cool down sooner too?
–Kate
It’s hard to filter the truth of raised beds. The theory goes that raised beds warm earlier and longer because they receive better exposure to sunlight and improved air circulation. I doubt that there is much of an impact of warm air rising as a contributor since the beds are only raised a few inches. If it’s about sun exposure and then retention of heat, you could imagine that the surface area of the beds would work against them! My own experience (a terrible thing to draw on for real evidence!) tells me that this is not true. The raised beds are certainly warmer in the spring and stay warmer longer in the fall. This is a good question Kate! For me, I use raised beds because it allows me to control the soil more easily.
Anybody have a better answer? Since I like to apply science whenever I can I’d love to know the truth of what’s at play to keep these beds warm.
We don’t use raised beds for the temperature factor. In fact, our in-ground beds vs. our raised beds are at a draw this year so far for production. Additionally, we haven’t read anything that really says raising the beds is a way to warm them faster. So… why raise our beds?
1. Depth. 2. Useable soil.
We’ll write a post about it and y’all can read it there rather than taking up a HUGE space on yours.
p.s. I (Shannon) used to have that t-shirt when I was a kid. The Fonz t-shirt, that is.