Garden Tour - (last season) Spring/Summer 2017
A few posts back I had talked about how we will be relocating the garden for 2018. This past year we had put it in an area that got the perfect sunlight and was cleared from any bushes or trees. All in all it really was a great spot for a garden.
This next growing season, we will be moving it closer to the barn and house. For two reasons... 1. Since all of the garden supplies are stored in the barn, it just makes sense to have the garden closer to it. 2. Since the barn is closer to the house, now the garden will be closer to the house. Not that I don't like walking the few extra steps to get to the garden (like last year) but this way, I will have a clearer/closer view of the garden from the back windows of the house (where as last year, I did not).
We started everything from seed and grew straight into the ground.
Before this garden, we had only done a couple of small boxes (at our last house) so this big garden was a whole new experience for us.
It was definitely a learning experience. Everything was organic which was challenging in terms of keeping the pests and fungus/disease away but after some experimentation with some different oils and herbs, over time I found some recipes for sprays that seemed to work for both of those problems (neem oil is my favorite!).
Another learning experience was watering on a schedule and understanding the amount of water needed for the plants.
I know watering seems like a total no brainer but when you previously only kept a couple of 2x2' boxes, you come to under estimate just how much water a larger garden needs. Well, I learned the hard way in that everything pretty much stunted. I came to the conclusion it was the lack of water (soil nutrients played a part as well..) so I started doing heavy waterings about 3x a week and using the sprinkler 2x a week and then everything started to grow again but I know that initial stunt hurt the plants because I had a few crops that never grew to their full potential...
Water, water, water... and water some more!
Soil! Making sure the soil is rich with nutrients and all the good things the plants & flowers need and love.
Mushroom compost & Fish Emulsion are some of the things in my garden growing pantry...
Cabbage worms are the worst!
My chickens love horn worms.
No more tilling (among many reasons why, the fire ants also love freshly tilled soil... I learned the hard way).
Moles can really do some damage to crops that are plants right into the ground.
Inexpensive deer netting works great as a fence for the garden.
Using down tree limbs as posts for the fence is not only a (free) way to reuse what is already available but also a great place for the wood bees to make homes in (I know, many people hate wood bees but they help pollinate and I welcome all pollinators to my garden!).
Did I mention water, lots of water?
Our garden wasn't perfect by any means and there were a lot of things that just all out failed (like the cabbage) but I am happy with what we did get out of it. Was it a lot of work? It most certainly was. There was a lot I needed to learn and a lot I probably should have learned before tackling such a big project but... At the same time. There was a lot I DID learn from it. So even though we had stunted growths and I lost all the cabbage, I learned from those failures to now make the necessary changes for next years garden.
It will forever be a learning process. I will try new things, ditch old things, plant new things... Nothing will ever be 100% consistent. But I'm okay with that. I'm not a consistent type of gal. I like things that keep me on my toes. And a garden will always do just that!
I love looking at gardens and reading about what other people are doing with theirs. If you have any of your own garden experiences, would love to hear them! Or if you have any posts of gardens that you have had in past seasons, link them up in the comments and I will stop by for a visit! :)
You didn't mention having a compost heap on the go, so I'm not sure whether this has been factored in yet? I only notice as I have a few piles that I am really, really hoping will be doing their jobs well enough that I can throw some lovely black gold onto my beds this coming winter, and build up the nutrients. This is one of the problems of beginning a garden - the lack of mature piles at the ready.
I can't wait to see how you design your new garden. :)
We will be working on a small compost pile in the near future and plan to make a larger one in an area that we have been burning (about a 10'x10' area) downed limbs and debris (natural debris like leaves, tree stumps etc) and will use the ash from that to mix in with the compost. I totally agree about the lack of mature piles... We didn't have one last year so we were "outsourcing" our nutrients (buying heaps of compost at the local nursery). We did make barrels of compost tea which the plants loved!
Very much looking forward to having our own system going with the compost! :)
Interesting evolution of your garden's location! I wonder have you thought about also keeping this garden since you have already made some efforts into the soil and fencing? Since it's a bit further than you'd like you could plant some veggies, trees, shrubs and other perennials that wouldn't need as much constant attention as your primary garden. Just a thought! Your post also left me wondering if you are doing much animal manure amendments? You might also check out EM effective microorganisms , one great way of boosting the soil life in a new garden. Keep up the great work and remember every year the soil will get better and you'll likely have less problems with pests!
The area that this garden once was will be the new area for my wild flower garden :) I hope to someday also have a bee box or two and will put them in this area as well. We have fruit trees around this specific area of the property (pear, apple and grapevines) and I want to add a few more (cherry and peach).
As far as the animal manure. We have a few piles of "lazy" compost along the tree line where we have put the chicken manure. Once we have a more established compost pile in the sun, I plan to take a few bin fulls of those piles (the chicken manure and the leaves and other natural debris) to put into the compost pile.
Thanks for stopping by! :) :)
Your pictures are so good in all your posts. You mind me asking what type of camera / lens you're using?