+'- - Deter Chan Way blG 1 Laura Jac 1 - . --.... . .: -. ropean gardeners have been growing vegetables In raised earth beds or mounds. Today, this system of intensive cultivation is beginning to catch on with American gar- deners One of its advantages 1s that gardeners can grow more and better vegetables in less space. Plus, plan- ting crops In ratsed beds lets you plant, weed, and harvest the vegetables without having to walk on the planted soil. One of the best raised-bed aar- dens n me county belongs to 6eter and Sylvla Cnan of SoJlheast Port and Peter ana Sylv a formerly lived in Canton, a southern province in matnland China, where theancient mound-oiantina svstem IS still wldeiv dsed Peter. tngn a p ant patnolog i t at an agr clitural college near Can- ton, moved with his wife and three Sons to Portland in 1967.He is now a research technician for the Bioloav Department at Portland State, in-. charge of the experimental greenhouses. Back in 1968, when the Chans began planning their back yard gar- den thevfirst had tocontend wlth an unwanted crop of rocm and small bou aers "The garden seemedto De bdtmt on a rlverbed or gravel pit All our netghbors said. 'Don't waste your time.' " But by 1975. the Chan family's garden had placed first among 1.400 entries from 13 western states in Sunset magazine's contest. The family's 30 by 50-foot garden has since been visited regularly by natsonal garden writers. home gar- deners from across the county, and groups from various garden clubs. Peter has also co-authored a beaut~fully-photographed gardening book with Soencer Gill. Better water Sinks into the soii. Because of this, the beds dry faster and are ready to work long before the or- dinary flat garden space. ' The mounds also serve to con- serve water and fertilizer. Instead of spreading these essentlais around a large plot, you water and enrich only the narrow area where plants will grow. The soii In the mound gets rlcher over the years. Runoff lhquid and nutrients are caught In the furrows beside each mound, and eventuallv slnk down to the roots. Vegetable dardenong the Chinese Wa klng i n tne aa,acent paths mare Way, wnlch describes and Lstrates tnem harder nffht me. d sco~ragtng tne ra.se0-be0 method In handsome even the growth ol weeas n tne detall, Using the raised-bed method, the Chans find thev can aarden aclivelv . " from Febr-ary untll tne early part of Decemaer - a sngn I cant extens on of tne Paclflc horlhwesl grow.ng season, whlch usually runs from May to September. Wlth raised beds, the sun strlkes more soil surface. warmlng tne earth and encodraglng seed germ nat on earl er n the vear Tne Cnans oeg n In FebrJary w3.n peas, and follow with lettuce in March. At that time, other Northwest aardens arestill soaav and cold from ;!nter rams B J ~t;g'mounds dra n q~ ckly, so that even after a ran the must be 3 feet 3deouate roof . nutrient-poor soil. o build such a garden, you T c a n start as soon as me so11is workable. whlch may be as early as March. Next year, when the mounds are established, you'll be able to cultivate the garden and begin plant~ngin February. Good soil preparation is the key to this garden's success. Flrst, the loca- tion of each bed ls marked off with twine. The width of each mound should be 4 feet wlde at the base. Start~ngat the center of the bed. begin turnlng thesoll to adepthof 10 or 12 inches. Break down so11 wide to Trot zone for cat1 wail ugh on either :hes runoll n ?r. - - side utrrenfs and plants, 1 ' I ,-36"- , L , clumps and work In organ c materlal untd one-tnwa to one-halt ol the top- so111s additive. Make each mound about 6 Inches high and 3 feet wide at the top. taoerino to a four-foot-wide base (see I ;strat on) Tnen rane tnP top to smootn it, removmq rocKs ana other debris as you go. This may sound llke a lot of work to aet started. but keen in mind that once 81 IS establ shoo, a ralsea Ded IS permanent One of the most mpor- tant tn ngs for us.' sajs Peter. 'apart from the good y~eldsand the quality ofourvegetables, istheway the rals- ed beds make the aarden beautiful." In Chlna there 19 an old say nq If yo^ w~shto be nappy for afew no.rs drink wine until your head spins pleasantly; if you wish to be happy for a few days, get manled and hide away; 11you wish to be happy for a week, roast a tender plg and have a feast: if you w~shto be happy dl your Itfe, become a gardener." PSU's Alumnl Off,ce, together wrth the Dws,on 01Confnnu~ngEducabon, will sponsor two gardenrng classes wrfh Peter Chan 1h1sSpring. For more detaL, see page 7.
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