The Garden

This spring we took on the renovation of our garden.  Nana planted a small garden in one of the corners the first summer, and then last summer we took on the whole area, but it was overrun by the weeds. It was just too big for us to manage.  So this spring, we decided to map out the area and make it a place that was manageable and beautiful.

After traveling to the east coast last summer and visiting the beautiful gardens at Mt. Vernon, we thought this could lead as a starting point for our small little plot of land. There are numerous gardens to walk through at George Washington's estate, but this one caught my eye.  Very natural looking.  They basically used the land and the plants to separate each section.  The paths were mostly grasses and a few brick pathways.

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So when Craig, Nana and I sat down to talk about how our garden might look, we decided to take on a less is more approach.

THE GOAL:

Create a peaceful place to work the land and enjoy the fruits  of our labor come fall. And veggies, too, of course! 

The one thing that Nana knew we needed was designated beds for growing. Given that there are tons of trained gardeners to work the gardens pictured above, we realize that our garden will be a little less manicured. After all, there are just the 5 of us that will be maintaining our garden. And while the kids are a huge help in many ways, gardening it not really their forte!  The weeds were a huge issue last year, so figuring out a way to separate the fruit and veggies from the wild grasses and weeds was tops on our list. We ended up going with old railroad ties that were once used on train tracks across the U.S.  

With a plan in hand, we got started in late April. 

First, we rotatilled the areas where we wanted the beds to go.

Thanks to Uncle Eli for helping Craig get the ties and bringing them into the garden.  I'm not so sure Nana and I could have lifted them.  They are extremely heavy!

We agreed that while a new split rail fence would look great, the chainlink fence that is already there works just fine.  Removing a few sections here and there and repairing a few places that were broken saved us a ton.  Not just financially, but time as well, which we've learned is a huge deal out here. What would take us an hour at our home in the city, takes us 2-3 hours out here.  Not complaining, just stating a fact that we didn't realize when we took on this adventure!

Next, came the dirt.  It took six trips to the rockyard to get enough gardening soil to fill the 9 beds.

Then, came a huge gift from our friends.  They were getting rid of some pea gravel from their yard and asked us if we'd like to use it somewhere on our property.  Well, naturally the answer was, YES!

We started by creating a small area for a table and chairs.  Then we added a path from the main yard to the garden itself.  We still have a slew of rock left that we can add as we find a need.

Here's what the garden looks like today.  About a month into the growing season. 

When the previous owners lived here, they used this area for raising dogs.  I think they were breeders. There was four small kennel areas where the two larger beds in this photo are located.  The area where the wagon is will be become the home for future chickens.  We want this area to be a free range area for them once we build the coop and partition that area off for when we don't want them tinkering in the garden. But that's a project for another day!

We still have a long way to go.  Some things have yet to even sprout.  But it sure is looking good.  

I think we're going to have a bumper crop of peas this year.  My favorites.

The tomatoes are looking good.  No blossoms yet, but it's still early.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary.  How does your garden grow?

While the corn was not quite knee high by the Fourth of July, there's still plenty of growing season left.  The lettuce isn't looking too good after the last hail storm, but come rain or shine I have a feeling it will survive!  May not look pretty, but I bet it will taste yummy!

The peppers are getting ready to blossom!

Even the garden needs a little decor here and there!

The onions are doing great!  The garlic is still working on establishing itself.

A few of these spread throughout the garden are supposed to help with pests.  Let's hope they do their jobs!

I tried to transplant my strawberries from last summer, but they did not survive the shock.  After seeing these sweet little guys this week, I am hopeful that this new batch of strawberries will adjust well to their new home and take off in years to come!

I'm so happy with how it's turning out. Each year brings something new.  But this year is, by far, the best year for this little garden of ours.