This year we decided to turn Lucy Lou’s kennel into a Zen Garden for her. We constructed a gateway entering her area using old wood fencing rescued from going to the landfill and various perennials that we had collected over the years.
We landscaped the entrance with subtropical plants (banana plants, canna lilies, Chinese Fan Palms, daylilies, zebra grasses, elephant ears, Texas Star hibiscuses, gladioli).
By the end of summer, her garden will be in full growth; however, most of the perennials are cut back to ground level and covered with pine needles by winter.
At the risk of getting off to a late start this season, we waited until the end of March to plant our leaf vegetables (kale, Swiss chard, collards). Fortunately, Gaia showed us favor, and the season has been highly conducive for growing leaf vegetables here at the Veggie-Bed.
Greens are high-yielding vegetables that grow well in a small area. We have picked a flat of greens every three days during the last six weeks.
The greens are chopped, washed, blanched, and stored in the freezer for later use.
“Crop rotation was practiced by farmers in ancient Rome, Greece and China. Ancient Middle Eastern Farmers rotated crops as early as 6000 BC. Crop rotations improve soil tilth, reduce pest, weed and disease pressure and increase biodiversity on the farm.” (bioneers.org)
Over ten years in the making, the Veggie-Bed is a no-till, raised-row, organic garden in which the vegetables are rotated seasonally.
Located in the suburbs of the Western Branch area, the property is only 3/4 of an acre, and we use approximately 450 square feet in the backyard. The garden is section-off into two 20 by 10-foot gardens. Each section is divided into two ten by 10-foot plots where vegetables are grown according to their type (root, leaf, legumes, fruit).
Concentrating on quality and not quantity, we give each plant plenty of room to grow and increase its yield.
We mix organic compost from our compost pile into each row during the winter months.
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides are used in the gardens.