My New Garden Project

18 years ago

I'm in the process of restructuring my Potager (kitchen garden w/herbs, veggies and flowers) which connects to my cottage gardens. My property is all on a SW facing ridge. The Potager area drops three and a half feet in 25 feet of space, so I must terrace it to prevent runoff. Yesterday I built a rustic, Oriental style arbor at the new entrance. It is going to look great when I am done. All the gardens now have a nice "flow" into one another and that was what was missing.

I am starting 'Lasagna' beds in the new areas. Going to make 3X5 ft frames for above-ground beds and one five or six ft. diamond or circular bed in the center where a tower will be set for growing green beans, peas, tomatoes or cucumbers or some vining flower and then plant flowers around the edge or the bed to frame it in color. Paths will be 3ft wide enough to get the wheelbarrow through easily.

The new arbor/entrance of the Potager garden intersects the path that intersects the entrance into the Cottage garden by the back door (south) - the path leads (west) to the Oriental water garden/Koi pond down into the lower garden and orchard (west), and (east) up to the greenhouse & garden and henhouse and backyard. The paths are grass (cooler in the summer).

The pergola over the patio did not get built last summer (ho hum), so I am going to hire it done, by golly. It will also have the Oriental style.

Maybe I will put up a stick fence or picket fence around the garden, but not right now anyway. Short, hog-wire fencing is enough for now. It will keep out the chickens and armadillos and that is the main thing so they can't dig up my plants and seedlings looking for bugs and worms.

There are more plans but tiz enough for now.

Will post pictures of the project.

sweetannie4u

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Comments (3)

girlgroupgirl
18 years ago
Hi Sweet Annie:
I have been wondering how you are doing!
I'm also thinking about major reconstruction of my veggie beds commencing very soon. We had a tornado here and it knocked down ALL of my trees. Not quite financially prepared to overhaul the entire yard, I can at least start on the front yard vegetable gardens on my own.
The old still stands, but the maple tree that was shading them is now gone and the stump to be ground out Friday afternoon. That will double my vegetable garden space!
I need to dis-assemble some temporary raised flower beds (but I don't have a home for those plants yet as the tornado wiped everything else out and it will take a lot of work to reconstruct the gardens in the rest of the property), then I can pretty much take out all the edging and re-work it, fill everything in with fine ground mulch (or lots of ground trees!!) and begin building my new raised beds.
I want to be very creative with the layout of these beds as they are in the front yard, so I'm going to think on it tonight. Sometimes my best garden design ideas come in my sleep!!

Our old chain link fence got smashed. Not so bad, I hated it anyway. We are getting new picket fencing as soon as possible. I won't have any pergolas or structures over the garden for awhile. We need so much work done I can't afford that for quite some time!!

Good to hear of your plans!

girlgroupgirl
terrins
18 years ago
I am on a slope too.I'll look forward to pics of how you terrace. I'm not too sure what I'll be up to yet.
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Annie
Original Author
18 years ago
My gosh, GGGirl! How terrible!

How devastatingly terrible!
I am so glad you weren't hurt or killed!!!
We had similar destruction here in December from a week-long ice storm and deep freeze. All the trees were downed or topped or damaged beyond belief. Shrubs too. Power poles broke off like toothpicks and lines were down for weeks. We are on rural electric so they restored our power within five days, but I lost all my precious garden produce and frozen meat, even though I packed everything in ice chests to try to save it. I went out every day and scraped snow and ice and packed in the ice chests.
Trees fell on houses and utility poles and wires. Roofs caved in from the weight of the ice and snow. From OKC going NE past Tulsa, all the trees were downed and the power was out. The tree services and city utility folks haven't even made a dent in the mess.
But, we survived and all my family, thank God!
I hope you can get your beautiful gardens back in good form this summer.

Will post pictures of 'before and after' and the stages through summer - however it turns out...good or bad. :)

sweetannie4u