Six garden related things on a Saturday. Simple, there are few if any rules. Post your link on the comments section of the host’s blog http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com where you can also see participants from around the globe.
A new calendar year has begun in which I will reminisce and plan. Looking back, 2020 was all about the rabbits. The crops they don’t approve of (leeks, tomatoes, chilies, beetroot) have never been bigger, tastier and healthier. The others (lettuce, spinach, beans and peas) however, have been more or less non-existent. Too much energy was spent trying to outwit them and wailing over the chaos they brought down on us. Which leads me to the first of my Six this week:
- A fence. I am starting my 2021 with a rabbit proof fence around my vegetable beds. Said fence will be strong 1/2″ netting attached to 7′ hazel poles. There will be weights at the bottom. More on coppicing the hazel in a future post.
- To facilitate the fence there will be a new updated garden plan. Currently laid out in rectangular no-dig beds about 6′ by 12′ I will be changing to 4′ x 40′ beds with actual chipped paths between. This should help avoid too many tiptoes and pirouettes as I try to negotiate inside the fence. It might also come close to looking tidier than my usual jungle with crops climbing all over each other. Perhaps…
- In 2021 the veg garden will include only the crops we love to eat or that I love to grow. I will grow only 1 pumpkin plant for Halloween. There will be no weird squashes that end up in the compost pile because we don’t like squash. There will be loads of carrots and potatoes and fewer beets, kale and chard.
- Looking back, my flower gardens have become very unruly. It’s time to take stock and think about more low maintenance options as I get older. I may even want, one day, to sell this property and move on to a smaller garden. Realising that not every potential buyer will appreciate a giant witchy herb garden full of rampant obscure edibles, my goal for this year is to install curb appeal in the front of the house.
- Flowers. My property is very lush and green and hosts many food and wildlife friendly plants. But at some times of the year it lacks the drama of flowers. I do have a lot of spring bulbs, poppies, roses and peonies, but need to learn to incorporate more late summer and fall flowers such as helenium, gaillardia and echinacea. The above photo serves to illustrate both points! In this section the most outstanding flower was the squash! The roses and peonies are over and the Japanese anemones have not yet started flowering. The hydrangeas were wishy washy this year and just didn’t help the overall effect.
- As many people have realised there is wildlife all around us. We have only to stop and notice what is out there. To that end I’ll leave number six to some of my garden birds from the end of 2020: a charm of goldfinches finishing up my lilac seed; a murder of crows harassing my resident red-tail hawk; 3 swans a-swimming and a downy woodpecker in the redbud tree!
Happy 2021 and may it please be a good one with the right amount of rain (during the nights) and sunny pleasant days filled with good food and flowers.