To Curve or Not to Curve

At Urban Dweller’s request, here’s a bird’s eye view of our raised bed in progress.

We’re just experimenting with where to put the stones at this point. We will probably straighten it out a bit in front. But we’re kinda likin’ the curves.

I’m also probably going to shift this a couple more feet toward the back to maximize sun exposure to the bed.

When we’ve got the pavers in place, we’ll line the beds and pile in the soil.

I got a tip from the Master Gardener to line our beds with black-and-white newspaper. We sure have plenty of those. She says the newsprint is great for killing weeds and nicely decomposes into mulch.

Brings back memories from newspaper tours in the ’90s when one local publisher bragged about how we could shred his paper and turn it into feed because the ink was now soy-based. Farmers might just be thinking about it considering the jump in feed prices that we’re expected to see (“Eat high on the hog while you can,” Chicago Tribune). Gas is already $3.99 in Chicago. Let me know if you see it top that.

But I digress. Because I showed you the bird’s eye view, I figured you should also see the bird. Here’s the mama Mourning Dove and, if you look real close, her baby. Dad’s never far off. Both are very protective of the nest so we don’t know if this little one has a brother or sister.