One of the first problems related to setting up a garden was choosing a location. Our property is large, and there's a nice garden spot downhill from our house location, but it was far enough away, and along a steep enough path, that we didn't feel like the garden would be convenient enough if we located it there.
Before we'd purchased the land the trees had been harvested from the flat land at the top, where we've located our buildings. As a result, much of the soil has washed away, and the ground is rocky and not especially fertile.
As you stand on the flat, high part of our property, where the buildings are located, you can barely see the garden. You can see the temporary fencing (to keep the dogs and cows out), but the garden begins just on the other side of a ridge.
Below is what you see as you approach the top of the ridge. The garden is still very much under construction, as you can see.
And here (below) you can see the garden up close. Closest to the gate is a section of garden which is mostly lettuce. There is also garlic, a few very tiny cabbage plants, two snapdragons and a poinsettia. I'll explain about the poinsettia tomorrow. The second section has beets and carrots, and space for additional beets and carrots, to stagger the harvest. The third secion has bush beans and some beleagered pea plants. Unfortunately I've found that the zampopos (leaf cutter ants) really like pea plants. I've been fighting them off, but I'm not sure I'm going to be successful enough to actually harvest any peas.
You can also see, in these photos, the next part of the garden, which is still under construction. Christopher digs down (breaking up and removing lots of rocks in the process), and then he, Bethany, and David fill the section with a mixture of topsoil and dried manure.
We're getting close to our earliest harvests - leaf lettuce, beets, and carrots.
4 comments:
That's quite the homestead you have, Trish!
I just love gardens! There is nothing better than getting your hands dirty prepping the soil or setting out plants. Do you grow everything from seeds?
Love Beth
reminds me of our gardens - where we decided if you had to pay for it the stuff you put in was soil, dirt was what was already there ;)
Hope your raised beds give good harvests, even with the ants.
have you considered hydroponix as an alternative to ant friendly vegetation? Upside down hydroponix helps with poor soil areas along with keeping ground pests from destroying crops. (Saw that on the tour of the Land at Epcot in Orlando)- Anna from Clearwater
Post a Comment