Garden report 1

I took all the kids to The Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor last week.  Before checking in there we stopped at two stores but it wasn't until a bathroom break at the museum 4 hours later that I noticed the dirt streaked across my face......as if toting 8 children around by myself wasn't enough to look again and wonder.  No question I've been working hard; in addition to the dirt on my face I have at least 25 mosquito bites down each leg, mud covered overalls, new muscles popping out of my chicken arms and now photos to show for it.

This is only my second year in the garden.  Last year was tough enough to have me avoiding a garden plan until I figured out a way to make it a bit easier.  For practical reasons I'm feeling the draw of permaculture and for even more practical reasons I'm not going to jump into it over night but instead ease into it over time, using what pieces make sense to me.

These garden boxes five steps out my front door were the brilliant idea of a seasoned permaculture friend.  They were built and filled for me by Mother's day and aside from a sweet potato experiment they will house our everyday eating favorites, greens, leeks, cabbage, carrots, beets.........and whatever else I planted (I do have a record of it somewhere).

Just around the bend from the raised beds is an established bed for ornamental grasses and flowers.  I made room for 3 varieties of squash to trail out and around where ever they please.

Planning for more food around the house (zone 1), I cleared out the west bed and will set in a few tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.  

The side porch is where most the traffic and action happens.  Beneath the porch is also where the dog and chickens like to hang out.  For that reason I have been limited in what I've been able to grow there.  All that survived from last year is a few lilies and patches of lemon balm and violets.  I hope to somehow keep the animals out and plant more herbs and flowers.
   

And here they sit waiting.......

We decided not to till the big garden this year.  It is now the spot for some permaculture experiments including these potato basket towers.  We had a fencing incident with Princess one of the one year old Nubian goats.  It required me to cut the fencing in order to untangle her leaving the fencing totally useless for goats.  I am happy we were able to repurpose it and even happier that the boys were able to complete this project totally on their own (and of course relieved Princess was not injured by her curiosity).

Next up is Clara's garden.  I told anyone who was willing to double dig and pull weeds could have their own garden any shape they wanted.  Clara was the only one who took to it.  I brought home a cherry tomato plant for her to plant alongside her flowers and she giggled, "look mom this plant loves me!  look at the way it dances in my garden".  She even brought out those red plastic cups just in case of a frost.

Way on the other side of the garden was a patch of raspberries that was infested with thistles.  We only picked a few handfuls of raspberries last year but this year we are determined.  It was a big project to trim them, move them, clean the beds, replant and mulch.  I borrowed my neighbor's garden helper Jose to assist in this project, he, James and I got it done in a long muggy day of work.  The cost of this project was a really messy house when I finally checked in with the rest of the kids inside.

Below is evidence of more experimenting.  Paul used the tractor to build these three hugelbeds.  We mixed a pile of seeds and free casted them around all side, Peter helped me and we both declared how much more fun it was than regular planting.  We covered it with straw and then we all came charging out just 30 minutes later when a handful of chickens busted through the new chicken fence and scratched and pecked over these mounds.  I'm not expecting too much from it this year but will be waiting to see how it performs the following year.  The plan is to let everything reseed itself.......... I believe it is possible.

Behind the hugelbeds you see three apples trees.  I read much about pruning and have heard equal arguments for not pruning.  That left me confused so I pruned one a lot, pruned one a little and left one totally unpruned.  I realize there are many more variables to this experiment and hope not to drive myself crazy with that.  These experiments are simply being held at an elementary level.  
  

This is last year's bean pole that we are now using as a pea pole.  I stuck in 3 different varieties and 2 are growing beautifully.  I used old baling twine for climbing and hope it is tight and strong enough.  At the top of the pole is a guard to a broken fan but I'm told a bicycle wheel works better.

Over here is where I dreamed up a mud pie kitchen.  We salvaged an old dresser from the junk pile out back and painted it the color of the barn.  The girls cooked up a few good bricks but I will have to figure out a shade solution in order to draw more customers.  I found this on pinterest but for now there are enough projects to do.

I'm only a few weeks into this garden and already feeling outnumbered by projects, plants, animals and children.  Constantly reminding myself to slow down and enjoy the process.  

Though I'm not sure the vision I had of working alongside my husband and children in the garden will ever materialize in this lifetime, I'm feeling blessed to have this opportunity to learn so much and simply hope they feel nourished by my love with what ever is harvested and served to them.