Update on the Cob Garden Beds

I have to say it was touch and go for awhile with the cob garden beds I built this spring.  The incredible amount of rain we got took me by surprise.  But despite all the rain they didn't wash away and the cob beds are still doing their job.  While there has been some erosion on them their is not any significant structural failure.  When they are dry I can walk on them and they easily hold my weight without cracking or breaking off.

I have noticed some flaking off in some areas were I built it up more after laying down my initial layer.  This is caused by two factors I believe.

• The slight differences in the mixture of the layers.  It took me a few tries to find the optimum sand clay  mixture and I had already built most of my beds by that point. 
• I also believe that I did a poor job of blending the layers when I failed to wet the the old cob sufficiently to help it accept the new layers. 

 But despite the some obvious problems I couldn't be happier with the performance of the cob so far.  While I don't yet have any clue yet how long they will last in their current state that is the point of this whole experiment.
                                                                        

Updated Picture of Cob Garden Bed

A Look at the cob now still going strong.

A look back at the cob.

So all in all everything is going well so far this summer.  The cob beds are holding their form and everything is growing like a champ.  The only real issue I have been dealing with in the garden yet this year is getting my herbs planted and growing.  My first attempt back in spring failed and I had to start over from scratch.  So as not to waste the growing space I planted a second batch of radishes where the perennial herbs were originally but they are not dealing well with the July heat we have been in.  So I think I learned my lesson that cool season really means cool season.

I also pulled my what was left of my turnips out today as they are not doing well in the heat either and it will eventually ruin the flavor if I leave them in.  Now I get to experiment with making pickled turnips which should be an interesting adventure.