Expanding the Garden

I have been brain storming all winter on my plans for the garden this year. I was hardcore Permaculture all the way. 

I truly need to make a plan of action before I say I'm going to do something. I chickened out and bought 1Xs for beds. I laid everything out first because I just wasn't quite sure where I wanted the beds to be placed. I nerded it up and started to draw my garden in AutoCadd but couldn't get a feel for the scale of my backyard. Wow, it's bigger than I thought.
This picture really shows how much we cut down to allow for more light. The cardoon is growing strong in the center bed. I haven't had a person tell me what it is. You can see the empty potato cages in the back.



Here we are today. (Winter gardens just aren't the best) I completely changed my mind on the bed layout, but the new beds have been tilled. Potatoes are planted. The peach and apple trees are planted. Being such a symmetrical person, I would have not had the apple tree down the center, but instead equal distance where the peach is off to the right. But, the gas and sewer lines are on that side. I just decided to avoid that area. The line of dirt in the foreground is the extra dirt from digging the holes for the trees and needed to fill in low spots.

As far as the permaculture vs raised beds I'm still on the fence. I have one major thing stopping me, and that's the poor quality of my soil. It's so bad I can roll the dirt in a clay ball. Permaculture is no doubt the direction I want to go, it will just take time to get there.

Next stop, I'm going to be getting old beds ready for wild flowers. Then, my gardening friend is bringing me compost! I have big plans for the bed along the fence. My cousin said I was 'thinking outside the box'. I can't wait to share when I get it planted.

Simply playing in the dirt, but tilling just isn't as fun.


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