Gardening Projects 2015

Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption

kGarden	Gardening Projects 2015 Thread for gardening projects and notes of progress during the year. These are my two projects. The first is a round garden that I am planning to plant as a White garden, perhaps similar planting choices to the White garden at Sissinghurst. Mid 2014 It started out as rough grass, and we planted hedges in March 2011. The Round garden is nearest, and the pond garden [to be!] is beyond. I experimented with a straight path up the middle, but didn't like it: Bit hard to make out in this photo, but in Winter 2012/13 I planted a circular hedge within the square, and some trees (Crab Apple and Birch) in the triangular corners: Here's how it looked in September 2013 with the middle path still in place, and a circular path around the perimeter: Plan for 2014 is to get it planted. I have been tempted to plant a hedge on the inside of the perimeter path too, so you walk inside an enclosed path, but I've decided to hang fire on that. My thought was to create something with windows onto the garden in the middle, rather like Het Loo Palace in Holland: Second Project: The second project is the far end, which is rectangular. This was how it looked in April 2013: We've Um'd and Ah'd about what the room should be, and our current thinking is to try to create something like Compton Acres Japanese Garden: It looks huge in the photos, and seemed like it when we were there, but I checked later on Google Earth and its much smaller than it seems, and thus I think I could fit something like that in. Only real snag is that my garden is flat, and I'll need banking around the sides to create the illusion of rising ground (I think I can manage that bit) and ideally have some Scots pines or similar behind (which I can't do as there are other gardens the other side of the hedges) (there are some more photos of Compton Acres on my blog in case of interest [link])
Cathryn	I feel quite weak just looking at those photos! Looks immensely ambitious and it will be great to see it develop.
dpack	mine is has less scale but plenty of challenge i have about 3m sq on the roof of the wood shed which is the only bit of the yard that gets a few hours of sun each day so 3m sq raided bed in expanded polystyrene fish boxes for land and a netted wall for climbers,sticks to lead creepers onto the shed roof(also sunny) and low grow stuff between the distance ones 3d is the only way i can see to get owt edible apart from the bramble maincrop ( 3 kg per linear metre from the security fence )
jamanda	I like the idea of bramble main crop.
kGarden	i have about 3m sq on the roof of the wood shed which is the only bit of the yard that gets a few hours of sun each day

Some polystyrene boxes on the roof? or just train the canes / vines up there?

Piggyphile

kGarden, your project looks brilliant, I did look up more info on your blog and it looks like a dream project. You have reminded me to take more 'before' pics so that is on my to do list before I start any more projects this year. I ended last year with building a bath wormery.

This year is hopefully the year of the polytunnel. I have found a supplier locally and saved up half of the money and with a bit of luck I will be able to get it in Spring. Then it will be digging up the turf in it, setting up terraced beds (most of my land slopes) and getting a rainwater harvesting system from the house to tanks in the polytunnel to provide thermal mass and irrigation.

Finally this is year of the tuber and I am growing yacon, chinese yam and oca for the first time. I will post some pics on here soon.

kGarden

your project looks brilliant

Thanks

Quote:

You have reminded me to take more 'before' pics

I photograph the garden, from approx the same spots, every fortnight. Its rewarding looking back to see what we have achieved, and also handy when we decide to move some plants around and need reminding what was in flower at the same time as what else.

Quote:

Then it will be digging up the turf in it ...

I bought a couple of greenhouses off eBay, once they were errected I set about digging the borders ... which, by then, were rock hard (both from sun and being walked on during construction).

If I was doing it again I would dig / rotavate the soil first so it was easier to cultivate, even if walked on during building, once the structure was ready for planting.

Dunno what size you are after, but commercial tunnels come up on eBay quite often. Just the hassle of taking them down and transporting them, but they are cheap to buy if one comes up that is reasonably close to you. OtleyLad

Two big ones:

Build up a nursery at the top of the garden for edible hedging plants - to be planted all over Wharfedale as part of my plan to make it a totally green valley.

Currently we have two 8x6 greenhouses sitting next to each other (long sides together). I want to turn each one round 90 degrees and make one 12 x 6 greenhouse. Its a shame that one is a green frame and the other plain aluminium but that#s just a detail.

And a little one - get on top of the weeds!

Pictures will follow... Piggyphile

Quote:

dunno what size you are after, but commercial tunnels come up on eBay quite often. Just the hassle of taking them down and transporting them, but they are cheap to buy if one comes up that is reasonably close to you

Thanks but as I am in Galicia looking on ebay doesn't work as locals tend to advertise by word of mouth and I am still struggling with the language. Even worse as it is so rural here, houses are hidden up tracks and impossible to find unless you know them. At least I know what I am getting with a new one and they are going to put it up for me (for a fee) but as I am here alone I am relieved to have someone who knows what they are doing. kGarden

I've now looked up where Galicia is, should have done that before ... sorry about that! wellington womble

I have two acres to tame. And still no real idea what to do with it in the short term. There will be Vegetables. And soft fruit. But there are only two of us, so there's only so much we need. No livestock, as it's too far away. It's a silly shape and is full of junk and edges and corners, so I imagine this year will be mostly sorting that out. Will take pictures when I next go up there. Mutton

Depending on how exposed, worth getting the start of some wind break planting in and fruit trees because they will take a while to get going. If you go with willow and poplar on the windbreak, then if it is in the wrong place in the long term, you can chop it all into large slips and start again elsewhere. wellington womble

Me? I've got plenty of fruit trees, although they need a bit of maintenance. And hedging all round. There's also two greenhouses, two sheds, sundry garages and outbuildings and a lot of neglected grass. Obviously I will be planting some veg, but it leaves a big chunk of grass needing mowing or leaving to get weedier. Long term I will be planting trees, but that will be next year. This year I don't really know. Mistress Rose

Depending on how exposed, worth getting the start of some wind break planting in and fruit trees because they will take a while to get going

Absolutely agree, and wish I had done that on day one when we arrived here - flat and exposed to surrounding farmland with only a few trees, and only properly planted the perimeter when we had been here 5 years Sad

I have now planted hybrid Poplar around the perimeter interspersed with more interesting trees for longer term, and plan to chop the Poplar out in a decade or so when the other trees are starting to get up there.

I choose hybrid Poplar 'Robusta' as it seemed to be it was the narrowest canopy (although maybe Lombardy would be as quick to grow? and even more skinny? but they were proper tree price, whereas slips were only a quid a go Smile

).

If anyone wants slips give me a shout next November Smile

kGarden

And hedging all round

Don't delay Smile

can you get them in this winter? Really pleased with the hedges we put in - planted Hornbeam (as heavy clay here and Beech, which we would have preferred, doesn't like cold wet feet much)

March 2011 planted 60/80cm
(Not much growth in first year, no measurement for the end of the season)
Oct 2012 140cm
Oct 2013 ??? Forgot to measure them Doh!
Oct 2014 310cm

We were lucky to have a really wet summer the first season, which got them going well. We planted through mypex woven weed suppressing membrane, and put a leaky hose under that along the double row which we hooked up a to a hose for a few hours twice a week during dry periods for the first couple of seasons.

May 2011:

July 2014:

wellington womble

If you already have fruit trees there, that is useful, and as you get some beds dug and planted, it will be come more so. Hopefully as you get into it a bit more you will have some good ideas. Sometimes having an already planted area is a bit off putting as you have to actually change things rather than starting from scratch. alison

What about a well planned raised bed system, and get someone in who will share the work and produce. kGarden

get someone in who will share the work and produce.

Does Channel 4's Landshare thingie still exist?

The end of our garden was rough grass when we moved in. Dunno if helpful, but we mowed paths through it to image how it might look once "developed". Changed our minds several times - let the grass grow long again and then mowed a fresh set of "ideas" Smile

tai haku

Two big ones:

Build up a nursery at the top of the garden for edible hedging plants - to be planted all over Wharfedale as part of my plan to make it a totally green valley.

Love this idea. Been meaning to experiment with it more myself; as the orchard develops I'm hoping to rear more damsons, cherry plums, hazels and a few other bits from seed of the named varieties - initially to improve my own hedges and then to steadily load up the surrounding area with goodies.... Mistress Rose

Otley Lad, applaud your idea where there are houses and cultivated land, but please don't plant anything in other places. We have wild raspberry, bramble (doesn't everyone), wild gooseberry, wild current, crab apple and wild strawberry in our wood. The raspberries have already been affected by birds importing seeds from cultivated ones, but the others are still the wild varieties. Bringing in cultivated varieties to the wood would result in crosses and make the wild ones less common. There is also the risk or disease. I am particularly worried about this at the moment as we have a lot of ash trees, some of them in coppice stools that are perhaps 1000 years old, and I don't want to see them lost. OtleyLad

I thought you probably did Otley Lad, but again, please check they haven't got any resident specials. Some hedgerows can be very ancient too. The railway lines are likely to have been affected by people of course, but some bridleways can also be very old. I am sure you will be responsible, but well meaning people can cause a lot of damage without meaning to if they don't think.

A good idea for 'ordinary' hedges.

I know a number of knowledgeable people in the Wharfedale Naturalists Society (no not the naturists) who can help identify any rarer species that we wouldn't want to disturb.
Its actually an opportunity to find out just what plant diversity we currently have (or not). OtleyLad

I was partly inspired by this man's exploits (less the preaching) Wink

Although his was more of a business venture. tai haku

I was partly inspired by this man's exploits (less the preaching) Wink

Although his was more of a business venture.

I've been intrigued by the work of these guys who offer "strains" - effectively open-pollinated landrace selections of a number of fruit tree varieties:
http://www.oikostreecrops.com/default.asp?
and Badgersett who offer seedling hazels selected in a variety of ways:
http://www.badgersett.com/plants/orderhazels.html

On the enormous farm I own in post-lottery win fantasies, I envisage growing out an array of selected races of my own:
- cherry plum; selected yellow parents,
- cherry plum; selected red parents,
- damson, selected parents,
- hazel; large nutted parents,
- hazel; red leafed mother,
- white bullace seedlings
- plum; green gage parents, and
- cherry, selected yellow and red fruited parents

I'd then use these to reinstate hedges on the farm and then see myself wandering down the hedgerows, admiring the abundant birdlife before selecting the most productive croppers back as named varieties and grafting them. Its good to dream but for now I'm aiming to fill in the gaps of what was once a hedge and has since I moved here simply been a line of trees. dpack

i have about 3m sq on the roof of the wood shed which is the only bit of the yard that gets a few hours of sun each day

Some polystyrene boxes on the roof? or just train the canes / vines up there?

boxes and roots on the wood store as it was built to take the weight,the shed roof which is bigger should be ok with the odd marrow but would not take soil and the cucumbers ,beans etc can climb the walls Piggyphile

If you can keep the grass fairly tamed and work your way through improving a bit at a time, you will see progress and it shouldn't get you down too much WW. An interesting and challenging project, and wish you well with it.

It's not really getting me down (although I really ought to be getting round to it more often!) it's just that I'd like it to be useful, and I can't think of anything to use it for. Never thought I'd be short of ideas for land!!

Oh, I meant I've got mature hedging all around the perimeter, so I don't need to plant any more.

I assume you have looked into creating a forest garden. We are trying to create one at the moment. We did a weekend course with Martin Crawford in Dartington Devon http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/
and loved it. His forest garden is very inspiring and it is low maintenance and is brilliant for wildlife even if you don't do much with the food produced. wellington womble

I'm planting trees next year, it's just this season really. I just don't want to mow grass for nothing all summer! I may see if I can get a truck load on manure delivered and grow more pumpkins than anyone could reasonably want. Ideally I'd like to plough and sow something, but I don't know what, or whether weeding it would be an impossibility. And selling/using it afterwards. I fancy borage or sunflowers, but I think green manure might be more sensible (if not so pretty)

I did think about more veg, but there's no way I can manage 2 acres worth. Let alone eat it all! Mistress Rose

Otley Lad, I like the story of Johnny Appleseed, and your idea is a good one. The trick is to spread rare plants around enough to make sure if one is destroyed there are others to take its place, but not to make it too common. There is some thought round here of planting cuttings or offspring of the naturally occurring (as far as we know) wild service tree found in a local wood to ensure it remains in the district no matter what. I have a tree in my garden from that source, and may try to get one or two to plant in the wood.

Piggyphile, the one thing that worries me about forest gardens is lack of light. How is this problem overcome, because in the wood we see a distinct lack of growth due to shading of the hazel let alone anything growing under it. kGarden

the one thing that worries me about forest gardens is lack of light

Dunno if it answers the question, but the BBC Documentary Farm for the Future had a section about permaculture in woodland:

http://youtu.be/KUUxrUw4XYk?t=33m6s Mistress Rose

Thanks, that was interesting but didn't really answer my question. Looking at it from the point of view of our garden which is shaded from the south by neighbours trees, and the woods, where we have noticed that the hazel growth is affected by shading from tall trees, I can only assume that while everything will grow, it will not reach its full potential. I understand that the forest garden system was first developed in Tasmania, which has light and sun heights similar to Spain, but a climate similar if not even less predictable than Britain.

I am sure there are answers to my question; any thoughts anyone?

Btw, why do they always show these things on a lovely sunny summers day when all the bees are buzzing and the birds are singing. The reality is more likely to be wet and muddy for most of the year like anything else. Very Happy

wellington womble

Because you need something pretty to look at when it's wet and muddy!

I really must get into gear about the garden. All I've done so far is bought the strimmer and a lot of weed suppressing membrane! Piggyphile

Quote:

Piggyphile, the one thing that worries me about forest gardens is lack of light. How is this problem overcome, because in the wood we see a distinct lack of growth due to shading of the hazel let alone anything growing under it.

A forest garden imitates an immature woodland in that the trees are often kept smaller and are deliberately spaced more widely apart. You plant in layers with big trees, smaller trees, shrubs and ground cover with climbers in the trees with more open canopies. That means the plants are in niches where each plant gets what it likes, eg some love deep shade, some mixed and some prefer light Also tall trees to the north of the site and shorter trees towards the south and some tall ones such as Italian Alder, a good nitrogen fixer have their lower branches trimmed as they get older raising the canopy up as it grows. Clearings can also be used to grow vegetables. When I visited Martin Crawford's place it was light and bright with birdsong and most trees were relatively short and bushy with an occasional tall one. Think more of a mixed orchard situation but with much more diversity. Mistress Rose

Thanks for that Piggyphile. It sounds as if it actually needs quite a lot of attention then, and even a fairly large garden like ours that is 50' wide would be fairly limited. I can see that using something like an orchard to grow things between the trees would work, but haven't found layers work well for me. Perhaps I will stick to fairly conventional gardening if I can stop things eating my veg when they are young.

We have a bit at the end that might be possible for a small experiment like this.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Grow Your Own
Page 1 of 1

Home Home Home Home Home