A Growing Obsession
By: Sven Kraumanis - owner/operator Legacy Vintage Building Materials & Antiques
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Back to the drawing board
Our loss of privacy and penned in feeling changed our priorities. Garden improvements bumped the facelift down the list. We assayed our needs, determined that a couple of vegetable beds would be a fun way to start and Christine took on the task of designing the garden. She first had to determine what was to happen in the garden and where.
Exposures, elevations and circulation all become factors to discuss as spots for implements, clean-up, potting, resting, visual delights, pets, debris and the barbeque crowded into the picture. Add in some sentimental keepsakes, stored goods from prior lives and voila, the rough plan is done (see attached plan) It’s now time to stake out (use garden hose for curves) the areas to check that aisles will accommodate wheelbarrows and that traffic flows are workable.
Hit the Ground Running
Our intention was to get as much planting underway as possible this season and concurrently lay the foundations for future improvements so as to not have to later disturb or move established plants.
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The compost bins (with removable slats as shown in #2) were constructed and a floor on sleepers with a corner-post were installed for our future corner gazebo (see #3). Additional posts were installed for the studio trellis as well as the main deck’s future open roof system. Meanwhile, all our windowsills held little trays of fragile shoots, all looking very much indistinguishable from one another and from what I imagine watercress to look like in its infancy. |
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Somewhere Christine had a secret reference chart because not long after these trays disappeared the garden exploded with whole families of vegetables, neatly grouped so as not overshadow, crush or otherwise offend each other. There’s more to this than meets the eye – but that’s another whole topic. |
For easy maintenance, tidiness a drainage we used chips and dust over commercial grade landscape cloth throughout the paths in the vegetable garden area. Scooping up after our dogs is a comparative breeze when there is no grass involved…reminds me of Shake and Bake. Leave open the areas where beds are planned. (see #4a-4b).
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With tons of material to move and grades requiring adjustment a walk-behind Bobcat does little more damage than you permit it to do. It is invaluable as a power wheelbarrow (see#5).
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