Garden Plan, 2023

 (click any image for a larger view)

 

Aerial view of my plot, summer 2022. That's me in the hat.

This is the space I am working with. 

Pictured here is the 2022 Garden. 

Bearing in mind that I had serious health 

issues all winter, surgery in May and 

recovery all summer I was happy to

 be able to garden at all.  

 

Herbs for tea loaded for the dryer

 My idea of a fun garden is a space where I can try new things every year. I don't want a space that is set in stone. I want a space where I can try new plants every year. And I want a space where I can keep the elements that work. 

For instance, the center of my plot is an herb circle. I grew culinary herbs such as oregano and thyme and I also grew herbs for tea, 

A delightful herbal tea mix

such as catnip, anise hyssop, golden hyssop, mint and chamomile.

 

The Herb Circle was a big hit with the bees, 

seen here partying on the flowering oregano.

Oh how the pollinators love oregano!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Northwest corner I made a squash and bean tunnel. I really liked this and the squash and beans did great but the orientation was wrong because it ended up throwing shade on the Northeast quarter of the garden so in the plans for this season I am re-orienting it in an East-West direction.

Squash Tunnel, 2022. North-South orientation. That's me in the hat.

 On paper I have the squash, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes trellised on the North end of the garden. The peppers will be grown on the southeast side. In the southwest corner I am going to make a straw planter. This will be planted with culinary herbs but its main purpose will be as a backstop for the garden bench I plan to build and to create next fall's mulch. 

Garden Notebook, each square is one ft²

This is my plot now (facing north). Resting for the winter. 

I made the garden gate last year from scraps of cedar fencing

 

Bench brackets found at the Re Store for $10

About 3 years ago I found these bench brackets at Habitat For Humanity. I am finally going to build the bench and put it in my garden in front of the straw planter which will have something tall planted in it like a sunflower which will shade the bench in the afternoon.

The beginnings of a straw planter

 Today was a great day to do some of the prep work so I got the straw planter started.

 

 

20 ft. x 2 ft. beds.

I got my squash, bean, tomato, and cucumber beds covered 

with a light treatment of aged chicken 

manure and I started the trellis tunnel. 

Most of my soil prep I did last fall so I did not 

disturb the soil and I stayed on established walkways.

 

Squash Tunnel, 2023. East-West orientation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This years garlic off to a good start

2022 Garlic curing before storage

 

 

The western border, outside the fenced area, is where 

I planted my garlic.

 

 

 Last year I planted it on the eastern border. I had an excellent garlic harvest, seen here curing before storage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I planted the northern border last year with Phacelia. I love this plant because the bees love it so much.

The bees love Phacelis

 It is a heavy self-seeder and from the looks of things so far I think it is going to come back

strong in the same place (and in a whole
bunch of other places that I will have to remove).

 

Winter, 2023. It is re-establishing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Along the east side I plan to plant my "exotics". These are not really exotic plants, they are just the new things I am trying this year. So far I have started...or attempted to start... Horseradish, Turmeric, Sweet Potato, Cumin, and Peanuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Sweet Potato and Horseradish have already sprouted. The Cumin did nothing. The Turmeric has not show anything yet, but it takes a long time to germinate. The Peanuts sprouted right away...too soon. I will have to start them again closer to the growing season.

 

 

 

 

 

My good old truck hauled the straw, compost and the extremely unwieldy 16 foot trellis panels.