garden work

When I arrived to the Burren College of Art, the garden plot was in disuse. A previous student had set up beds for growing vegetables and herbs. Since 2014, the garden had been minimally engaged with. I began the garden by first removing the small triangular beds, the plastic linings, and the gravel that was there. I then built 3 large beds using recycled shed siding. The next year, I installed 4 small flower beds made with slices of a found air duct, and an additional wooden bed. 

I filled the beds with compost bought in bulk from a local tree planting charity. In the winter months, I covered the beds with cardboard and plastic sheeting. I practiced no-dig techniques in the garden, trying to build up healthy soil using home compost, seaweed, and cardboard. I also have tried to mulch and suppress some weeds with wood chips. In general, weeding was not a focus, and having native plants present in the space has never prevented the dye plants from thriving. Ongoing duties of garden work and maintenance include seed sowing, repotting, hardening off plants, planting out, slug and snail patrol (at night, with a headlamp), harvesting in batches, mulching, seed saving, and covering beds in winter.