Design Dilemma
It is cloudy and cool today on the east coast of Iowa. Some much needed rain is on its way. We may get 1-2" in the next 2 days. I'm hoping for the lower end.... just enough to soak the ground gently. Then I can be back in the garden full force on Monday.
In the meantime today, I hope to catch up on errands, household chores and bookkeeping duties. I am very very very far behind!
As Joel Salatin's wife says in the movie Fresh..... "If you have come to see me, come on in. If you came to see my house, make an appointment!"
And I will add ............ we are currently booked out for over a month on the house appointments!!!! Such is the spring life of a market farmer!
But first .... I thought I would show you some updates from the garden.
The main cutting bed is roughly 80'x80' with a jog here and a jag there. There are two permanent fixtures... the lath house and an arbor that greets you to the garden. So the garden can be whatever it wants to be.
And I want it to be different!!!!
So I have been struggling with a re-design. We are slowly going to convert to raise beds for the convenience of my customers. (OK! OK! I'll admit it! We are doing this because my knees are getting old and it will take a while to do it all! Are ya happy now????)
This year ... the tuteurs are being moved and put in raised beds. I have eliminated the roses and am planting clematis that can be cut. Around the base of the tuteurs will be herbs. The first two will try to contain mints. (Can you ever really contain mint??) The third one may be a home for lavender.
I'm excited about that.... but then.... this gives me the opportunity for change.
I've always planted in long rows.... 150 -200 plants long. And now, do I want to do that?
There will be some some long rows but a change could make the garden more interesting. Smaller beds might invite you to linger longer and explore what else you might be missing. Did you see the lisianthus? Or what was hidden in that corner?
But do customers want to rush through the garden and get the flowers that they want???
I have always encouraged people to start at the end of the lane and cut their way through the gardens. There are hidden treasures in every garden. And there are roughly 30 of them! Some are small little corners. Others are quite large like the circle garden in the front. There are gardens in front of the fences. There are gardens around the barn. There are gardens by the house. And there are gardens around the coops.
Yet ... the cutting garden is the main event. And I want that to be spectacular. And its not. I love it ... and it does have some charm. But it doesn't have the WOW factor that I want.
Yea ... I know..... I've read too many Smith-Hawken books! I've watched too much Martha Stewart and I've memorized all the P. Allen Smith shows I possibly could! I need a larger hard-surfacing budget. (Make that ... I need a hard-surfacing budget!)
Till then ... and until inspiration really strikes.... you will find me on my hands and knees, planting flowers.
And that is still very very good!
In the meantime today, I hope to catch up on errands, household chores and bookkeeping duties. I am very very very far behind!
As Joel Salatin's wife says in the movie Fresh..... "If you have come to see me, come on in. If you came to see my house, make an appointment!"
And I will add ............ we are currently booked out for over a month on the house appointments!!!! Such is the spring life of a market farmer!
But first .... I thought I would show you some updates from the garden.
The main cutting bed is roughly 80'x80' with a jog here and a jag there. There are two permanent fixtures... the lath house and an arbor that greets you to the garden. So the garden can be whatever it wants to be.
And I want it to be different!!!!
So I have been struggling with a re-design. We are slowly going to convert to raise beds for the convenience of my customers. (OK! OK! I'll admit it! We are doing this because my knees are getting old and it will take a while to do it all! Are ya happy now????)
This year ... the tuteurs are being moved and put in raised beds. I have eliminated the roses and am planting clematis that can be cut. Around the base of the tuteurs will be herbs. The first two will try to contain mints. (Can you ever really contain mint??) The third one may be a home for lavender.
I'm excited about that.... but then.... this gives me the opportunity for change.
I've always planted in long rows.... 150 -200 plants long. And now, do I want to do that?
There will be some some long rows but a change could make the garden more interesting. Smaller beds might invite you to linger longer and explore what else you might be missing. Did you see the lisianthus? Or what was hidden in that corner?
But do customers want to rush through the garden and get the flowers that they want???
I have always encouraged people to start at the end of the lane and cut their way through the gardens. There are hidden treasures in every garden. And there are roughly 30 of them! Some are small little corners. Others are quite large like the circle garden in the front. There are gardens in front of the fences. There are gardens around the barn. There are gardens by the house. And there are gardens around the coops.
Yet ... the cutting garden is the main event. And I want that to be spectacular. And its not. I love it ... and it does have some charm. But it doesn't have the WOW factor that I want.
Yea ... I know..... I've read too many Smith-Hawken books! I've watched too much Martha Stewart and I've memorized all the P. Allen Smith shows I possibly could! I need a larger hard-surfacing budget. (Make that ... I need a hard-surfacing budget!)
Till then ... and until inspiration really strikes.... you will find me on my hands and knees, planting flowers.
And that is still very very good!
Comments
I have just come in for a bit of lunch after putting up posts and deer netting to (hopefully) keep the chickens out of the garden this year. Yes, our garden is already fenced in but these girls like to fly. Can't clip their wings because of the fox, hawks and coyotes around here. At least unclipped wings give them a little more speed when escaping. So far so good.
Time to go out and face the wind and put zip-ties on the posts to keep the netting secure. Then in go the potatoes, peas, carrots, parsnips....oh my, I had better get busy. Hope we midwesterners get the rain we need this weekend. I'll pray for you and you pray for me (up here in WI).