Taken from our 2nd floor bedroom window, I would call this a semi-aerial view of my garden. It's not that impressive is it? Nonetheless, I like to offer it as proof that you don't need that much space to grow a decent amount of food. All in all, I think I have about 1000 square feet of growing space, though I've never officially measured it. As you can see, the dogs have done quite a number on our grass. We desperately need to train them to do their business in the back end of the yard. I'm getting quite sick of looking at the dead patches.
Our next home would ideally be situated on 3 to 5 acres of land, with pretty of open space and a reasonable amount of woodlands. Most of my garden lies in part shade and I'm looking forward to the day when I grow all of my veggies in full sun. I'd like to plant a small orchard and have access to enough freshly-cut logs to grow my own shitake mushrooms. Hopefully, this will become a reality in 3 to 5 years. For the time being, I'll be focusing on whipping this space into shape.
In other news, the Heavenly Blue morning glories are finally starting to flower. It hadn't been doing much of anything all summer long. I'm guessing that the lack of rain had something to do with that.
I love these blooms. They only last a day or two but are magnificent to look at.
You know, we have partial shade, too. It's amazing what you can do with it if you try. I love the open spaces of your yard. What a lovely space for the boy to run and play.
ReplyDeleteOur morning glories finally have jumped into action too. The summer was so hot, so they pretty much didn't grow, then all of the sudden it started growing great!
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas, Your garden look so tidy and organize. You can grow many leaf vegetables in part shade. I grow some of my cauliflower, celery, broccoli in part shade and they do well providing me with good harvest. Asian leaf vegetables also grow very well in part shade.
ReplyDeleteThomas, from ground level your garden looks huge; it is quite interesting to see this perspective. But you are right in that you don't need much space and now with fall and crop rotations, more food coming on. ;)
ReplyDeleteI battle the dead spots in my yard from the dog pee, too. It's just something I've learned to live with. Much of my garden is shaded by neighbors trees, so I can't do anything about them.
ReplyDeleteMy latest plantings of Heavenly Blue have been blooming for a couple of weeks now, but my earlier (HUGE!) planting hasn't given me a single blossom. Water, or lack of it, is not the problem, as mine are all irrigated on a timer, and all receive the same amount of water. The ones that are blooming actually get much less sun than the non-blooming. Last year they were blooming two months earlier than this year, and in full sun! I just love the color of them...that's the first thing I look for when I get up in the mornings.
I'm going to have about 600sqft of vegetable growing space (though more if you count the paths and compost area and borders for the bees) and to me that is a huge amount. You can get a lot out of a space like that. I've almost hit 300lbs with only 200 sqft this year. Admittedly it isn't a normal year, but 200 wouldn't have been out of line in a normal year.
ReplyDeleteI love to see aerial views. It gives a different perspective. I somehow forgot to plant the heavenly blues this year but, you are right, their blooms are magnificent. Love the lacinato kale in the previous post. Glorious pictures.
ReplyDeleteBurned lawn is a reality for most of us with dogs, especially more than one. One dog is easier to train since they are not continually marking.
ReplyDeleteThe garden looks great, it is so pleasing to the eye Thomas. What is J. going to be for Halloween this year?
The Red Wheekbarrow - William Carlos Williams
ReplyDeleteso much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
(You need some chickens)
Oh, Thomas, fix my 'weekbarrow' !!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think your garden looks very neat and tidy. And your harvesz proofs that growing veggies in part shade works out great!
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I only have 230 square feet of garden beds and I will harvest over 400 lbs this year! If it wasn't for those darn SVB's, It would have been over 500 lbs. You can grow a lot in a small space. We are also planning to move back to the country where I belong.
ReplyDeleteYour harvest output has been remarkable for the area you are gardening...wow...I am impressed!
ReplyDeleteAlso, you have forest surrounding your property as we do on two sides, but our sun area is larger perhaps...still, I know we have not had your prosperity. So Thomas, you are truly gardening your earth sustainably and wisely, in my humble opinion.
Don't think you can do anything about the doggy pee...))) Males generally "go" around the property...not girls however...they are kinda...gotta go..gotta go..)))
Oh yes..probably the most beautiful Heavenly Blue photos I have seen this season..thank you.
The overhead view of the garden is great. Our house is only one story so a comparable shot requires going on the roof. Since I am a big scaredy cat about that... not likely to happen I am afraid. I actually do not not have much more growing bed area than you do - 1,192 square feet of growing area. It's amazing how much you can produce on a relatively small foot print of land.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...Robin, I think you bring up a good point. My fenced in garden area is about 1000 sq ft but I'm thinking that my available bed space is probably a lot less.
ReplyDeleteI love the look of that kale. I probably have 15 plants or so. And I only got one bloom from my morning glory this year, but it was fun while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteI really like the openness of your yard as well as the dense woods as a backdrop and border.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the same as my own yard and gardens, the shade it creates can be a problem for planting some crops. My own yard has just a few areas that barely get optimal light.
Maybe your next yard will allow you a little more light. Still, the garden you have right there looks great. Thanks for sharing.
Your garden looks fine and it's better than what I have now :D You got a bigger place and means that you can grow a more variety of plants in the future. By the way, your heavely blue flowers looks flawless.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love your garden, it looks gorgeous,
ReplyDelete