Garden expansion
I've walked around our section many times today, both literally and figuratively. I've found a spot for some maori potatoes and a place for some jerusalem artichokes after receiving Corrine's lovely swap suggestion.
I had already planned out where the pumpkins, squash and zucchini would go and the smaller soft crops can fit around the rest of the spaces (the punga raised bed and part of the old chook run bed) fairly flexibily. Not much point angsting over the finer combinations as it always changes at planting time.
But really, I want more garden space. Every year I have made new garden, but every year I have also turned established garden plots over to perennials. The spot which first had zucchini on it went to blueberries the year after. When they failed to thrive in that spot, I put the lone survivor in a pot and bought a potted blueberry to go with it and planted rhubarb in the vacated garden spot. My first garlic spot is now a perennial herbs bed. Another bed which started out for annuals is now the blackcurrant patch. Garlic is using up most of two other beds. Last year's newest garden bed, which started with spuds, now has strawberries filling it. Last year's zucchini spot now has a globe artichoke and a chilean guava.
So I've been pricing and measuring and planning to move one fence nine metres towards the front of the section. This area, on the far side of the house, is woefully under-utilised at the moment but if we move the fence (which is not a boundary fence but a child-proof fence to keep our young children safe from the road, then it would free up over 36 square metres for gardening. I'm hoping we can do this in early spring and then move the poultry palace in there so the chooks can do their job of turning lawn into garden.
Oh the things I will do with 36 square metres...
I had already planned out where the pumpkins, squash and zucchini would go and the smaller soft crops can fit around the rest of the spaces (the punga raised bed and part of the old chook run bed) fairly flexibily. Not much point angsting over the finer combinations as it always changes at planting time.
But really, I want more garden space. Every year I have made new garden, but every year I have also turned established garden plots over to perennials. The spot which first had zucchini on it went to blueberries the year after. When they failed to thrive in that spot, I put the lone survivor in a pot and bought a potted blueberry to go with it and planted rhubarb in the vacated garden spot. My first garlic spot is now a perennial herbs bed. Another bed which started out for annuals is now the blackcurrant patch. Garlic is using up most of two other beds. Last year's newest garden bed, which started with spuds, now has strawberries filling it. Last year's zucchini spot now has a globe artichoke and a chilean guava.
So I've been pricing and measuring and planning to move one fence nine metres towards the front of the section. This area, on the far side of the house, is woefully under-utilised at the moment but if we move the fence (which is not a boundary fence but a child-proof fence to keep our young children safe from the road, then it would free up over 36 square metres for gardening. I'm hoping we can do this in early spring and then move the poultry palace in there so the chooks can do their job of turning lawn into garden.
Oh the things I will do with 36 square metres...
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