This winter, I am determined to get the "bones" of my garden in order. (That, and doing some serious mulching. I've been piliching leaves from all over town.) But, I don't have bags of cash so I've been thinking of how to re-purpose items like pallets. At the moment I'm thinking a 3-bin composter system for my yard waste, plus some smaller raised beds, but I also saw this, which is pretty clever if you have a small space.
Sorry for the late notice; I've been away. The garden tour is today, from 11 to 7. Not all of the gardens are open the entire time, so make sure you look for posters in town or go here for more info. My garden opens at 3. Please ignore the weeds!
I'm pretty much the kind of gal who cuts up an old yoghurt container to make plant markers, but I did find myself eyeing a box of old knives at a second-hand store the other day. Writing on the handle would make a nice, durable marker that will last forever. I passed this time, but still may. (I have friends who use old toothbrushes.) If you are more into aesthetics, though, you may want to check out these free downloadable plant markers from Grow Indie or this wrap-up post from Heavy Petal on plant markers or this way to use pieces of aluminum from pop or beer cans, instructions courtesy Instructables.
Owee. What's that big yellow thing in the sky? Oh, right. The sun. What a glorious day yesterday. We had a big 'ole work bee in the yard and my hayfield finally got mowed. It's amazing how such simple pleasures mean so much to a gardener! We'll be in need of a serious massage after the weekend though as we're moving the greenhouse to our yard from our neighbours'. (Thank you Paula and Gibby!)
I've always wanted an arbour or two in our garden. One by Jan Janzen isn't in the budget yet — someday I hope — and I'm not wild about most of the ones I see in shops, so I just fashioned my own with bamboo. All for just a few bucks.
(Sorry, it's a bit lopsided. The photo, not the arbour.) Hopefully by the time of the tea, it will be covered in sweet peas and filet beans.
Here's another idea for building with bamboo — a pea trellis. What have you built with bamboo?
Don't hurt yourselves in the garden this weekend. Perhaps begin and end each day with this.
Well, since this weather is altogether too depressing for those of you champing at the bit to get out on the garden, let's engage in a little daydreaming and imagine we live in the Napa Valley or the south of France. Of course we need a lovely, long rustic table on which to have dinner en plein air with a dozen of our friends. No table? No worries. Here's some inspiration from the magazine Readymade (click on image to increase size):
Look inside >
ON THE COVER: RECYCLED WOOD DINING TABLE
There are lots of pallets kicking around town, in fact I have two in my backyard that I have big plans for, but the plans just might have to change.
Here are the instructions. It would make a great gardening table, too.
If you didn't have a chance to get out to Stubbs Island yesterday then there is still time today. I can't recommend this outing enough even for people who couldn't care less about gardens. It is a treat to be able to visit this private island where the community of Clayoquot once sat. (Clayoquot was here long before Tofino existed. It was the first non-native community in the sound.) Don't miss the enormous rhodos on the trail across the island. They were planted by Betty Farmer and Jo Brydges who ran the hotel there for years. (They are also responsible for the rhodos down by the Mini Motel/Armitage Point area by the Crab Dock.) But, of course since you are probably keen on food gardening, you can also go and drool over their beautiful, and very productive, veggie garden. I pine for raised beds such as these.
Such an ingenious, yet quite simple, design. Love the height of the bed and also the flexibility the rolled plastic "walls" give.
And then there's the beautiful little greenhouse...
And they are growing mushrooms, too...
And, of course, there are lots of lovely details to look at in the gardens...
Boats leave the 1st Street Dock beginning at noon and the island is open until 6pm. After that, you'll have to wait until next year!
Here's a great article on the merits of growing your food upside-down. If space, or pests, are a constant problem, this might be one solution. There are some great photos for inspiration. (Thanks, Jude!)
Feedback from yesterday's post has prompted me to dig out my Stubb's Island photos. I'm sure I have photos of their raised beds, but I couldn't put my finger on them. They are similar to the design in the video below, but the arches are wood and, if I recall, the plastic is just attached to thin pieces of wood (or bamboo?) and the sides are rolled up and down as required. I think the beds are about 3 feet deep. (If anyone has a photo, please let me know.) I asked Chris, one of the gardeners, if the box was all soil, thinking it might be gravel or something else halfway down, and he said it IS all soil. That's a lot of soil, but, oh, the drainage! Here is an inspiration for a similar design, slightly more high-tech, but the same idea. (I'm not suggesting anyone buy this, but it's good inspiration.
A quick troll through YouTube and Google with the search words "raised garden beds" yields a lot of resources, so it's worth a look if you are in building mode. I took these photos out at the Tofino Botanical Gardens a week or so ago. Again, a relatively simple design if you have some small lengths of rebar, brackets, tubing and plastic.
One more illustration for inspiration. I've been carrying around this article from Harrowsmith Magazine since 1995. I've never actually built this bed, but if you had room for just one I like how this incorporates a trellis. I have the plans if anyone would like to borrow them.
Do you have raised beds? I'd love to post pictures of your design. FIre over a photo or email me and I'll come over and take a picture. Happy building!
Session II: Preparing the Garden How to meet the needs of plants is the next focus, learning about creating a growing site that provides fertile soil and optimum growing conditions the organic way. Participants design and plan their gardens to an inch.
