We mowed the grass fresh and staked out some plots with string.
First process is to lay down newspaper in thick clumps right on top of the grass until the plot is totally covered.  We used a normal 'fold' of paper about 6-7 pages thick.

Next I took a shovel and spread manure compost (From Pam's horse farm) on top of the newspaper.  Some folks say this has to be 7-8 inches, but I didn't have enough, so I let it be 2-3 inches thick.

You can see where we are starting the paper for the next bed at right.

Now you can see we've got both plots laid with a layer of manure compost.

Next we put on a thick layer, about 4-5 inches, of aged grass clippings, to cover the manure compost.  This had aged about 2 weeks, but in the summer heat had already turned grey and nicely rotten!

Here both plots have a thick layer of mulched grass clippings. 

Now, a layer of straw, about 2-3 inches thick, on top of the grass clippings...

So, now both beds have in layers (bottom to top): paper, manure, grass clippings, and straw.

I decided to give it a good watering, just to get things started.

Paragraph.

9/3/2009. Here's  basic design I think I will work with for the right half of the garden space. the beds are 3 feet by 18 feet (with variations) and arranged linearly so I can lay a watering scheme without too much hassle. A surround of 1-1/2 foot-wide- beds for flowers and/or (per wife) climbing vegetables such as peas. Perhaps flowers in the two circular foci. A Ryan Ganey fence all around. Plus, deer fencing all around that.

For the Fall garden, I will start by using the 1-1/2 foot perimeter beds and maybe the 2 triangles at left if I need them.

Thursday 8/26/09 - tiny seedlings are sprouting all week. Turnips are first, but now the beets are up as well. No sign of the broccoli yet... Remembering to water once daily.

Sunday 8/23/09 - laid out seedling beds for the Fall garden. Found maybe 6 or so trays of slotted cups, some empty trays, and 1-1/2 bags of potting soil. Previously had spent some time making some little paper pots from a potmaker we found in Hank's room after he died, and so had 70 of those. All told, about 240 spaces for seedlings. Is this a lot, or pitifully little? I just don't know at this juncture. Linda helped me set them out, and that's a good thing 'cause the sun was going down just as we finished. We filled them with a mix of the potting soil and several shovelfulls of the composted manure from Pam's, then made an indentation in each slot with a pencil eraser and dropped in a seed or 2 for each. Then crimped the soil closed with our fingers.
Laid out were:
Turnips - purple top
Turnips - seven top
Beets - from 2 packages
Carrots - from 1 package
Cucumbers
Spinach
Lettuce

Sunday 8/16/09 - after a trip to Pam's horse farm to get some wonderfully aged manure mulch, have a 3-wheelbarrow pile of it. It looks very small! Still mowing the garden plot of the tall grass there, and saving the bagged clippings in a pile. This is growing in a satisfying way, and turning brown in a satisfying way, and collapsing in a satisfying way. Found some ancient hay in the wheeled cart in the (unused) chicken house and threw that in the pile, too. The bottom of it is a very satisfying black.