Stumbled into taking over a public vegetable demonstration garden so I decided to try something I've always wanted to try in my own garden, a potager style garden where there are no traditional "rows" which is carry over from the invention of large scale mechanized farming. I invite you to visit our garden and would love to hear your thoughts... Vegetable Garden Photos 2009
Very well done! It is a beautiful garden and very productive from the looks of the veggies! What kind of soil do you have and what have you added to it? I also liked the many variations of supports used. Good ideas!
Thank you Vancouver Island. The garden was started in 2001 with native soil and has had only compost added to it each year. Our city has a pretty good yard waste recycling program where they take branches and chip it into mulch and for green foliage and brown dried foliage, they collect it into huge piles and turn it to create compost which is then made available to the public. All our compost and mulch comes from that facility. This spring, we added: 1) feather meal (An ideal source of nitrogen for all crops requiring a steady long lasting supply of that ele ment. The product is not very water soluble, therefore leaching away from crops is almost nonexistent. The ni*trogen is made plant available through microbial activity. 2) soft rock phosphate: Trace Mineral fertilizer increases and stimulates microbial activity in soil, enhances flavor of fruits and vegetables and increase the nutritional value of garden grown food. 3) glacial rock dust: Glacial Rock Dust contains over 28 distinct elements that are found to be lacking in heavily farmed soils. Adding Glacial Rock Dust mineral content to a soil increases bacterial activity and promotes new root growth. These extended root systems allow plants to increase their mineral intake, and provide for stronger, healthier plants. The stronger a plant becomes, often times the better the yield, producing bigger, brighter, more flavorful fruits and vegetables. I'd never used these before, but I'm convinced they were part of the reason the vegetable garden turned into a jungle of healthy plants.
awesome! that looks incredible! i'd love to try something like that. any suggestions on how to even start designing? it just looks so amazing i wouldn't know where to begin.
Why thank you leaf kotasek! I suggest finding a geometric pattern you like. You can measure the area you'd like to use and use grid paper to create or trace designs you like. We created the paths with a small tiller which made it quite quick. Next step is to decide what you want to plant. Short, low maintenance plants along the boarders and fill in each bed with what you like. You can divide the beds based on theme, crop, etc. We had to keep our short plants in the corners with higher plants towards the center because of overhead side to side irrigation. So adjust your height accordingly whether it's to accommodate irrigation, trellises, or tall plants. Make sure all your fruiting plants get full sun. We didn't really do a lot of planning. A lot of it was determined on site based on donated seedlings from area businesses. Some things worked, some didn't. Every year is a learning experience, no matter how long you've been gardening. _________________________________ Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and witness the evolution of an Organic Kitchen Garden.
