| dimensions | sq ft | early 2008 contents and 2008 plans | ||
| South of yurt | ||||
| flower bed (in front of green house) | 2 | 7.5 | 15 | Poppy, daisy -- both up 4/21, poppy doing amazing! Planted lots of red nasturtiums in compost in a row between the two 4/22 and mulched with hay. May 12: most nasturtiums are up. Planted a purchased red Monarda in the middle of the row (not its final destination) because I didn't want to put it where it would just get overgrown with weeds now. Haven't seen the Rudebeckia next to the greenhouse door yet. 5/9, 5/16: the poppy is blooming, is gorgeous, but the rest of the row is covered with grass and other weeds. The nasturtiums are still there, but hidden and growing slowly. 5/16: The daisies are about to bloom.edit |
| onion bed (back east one) | 5.25 | 7.5 | 39.375 | Onions, garlic, leeks seeded in fall -- doing great, loved their time under a plastic tunnel in April. I think I spot the Egyptian onions. Garlic left-overs planted early April, four inches high by late April. Tiny leek starts planted early April, probably survived because of the tunnel, haven't grown much. Carrots (Short and Sweet) planted 4/21, up by May 12. 5/9: some lambs' quarter invading, onions doing well, carrots still growing.edit |
| herb bed (back east two) | 3.5 | 8.5 | 29.75 | Catmint, echinacea, hyssop (or summer savory?), chives. (Purple sage here didn't survive the winter.) Tulips up 4/21 but not yet blooming. Salad Burnet planted under glass on west side of bed early April; a few shaded ones survived to 4/21 (through 70F temps); I removed glass and reseeded. Two echinaceae plants definitely up late April! (I've been trying for years to establish them.) Purchased Winter Savory plant and put in 4/29, mulched all with rotting hay. Put in a thyme plant 5/12. 5/9, 5/16: Salad burnet is doing very well in the wooden frame, no other protection. Added some purslane and strawberry spinsach in the last row. edit |
| back east three | 5 | 8 | 40 | Peas planted early April, not yet up; cabbage-family plants transplanted there early April, not thriving like in the original greens bed. Turnips overseeded in-between plants. Angelica and mint are both growing again. More peas planted late April, up and staked May 12. 5/5: added some gourd along the fence, and caraway starts near the path. 5/16: the peas are ready to pick! Picked a very small turnip, added a row of swiss chard starts.edit |
| back east four (new trench) | 3 | 10 | 30 | Covered in black cloth early April. Compost and mulch added May 12, purple asparagus planted. 5/16: asparagus doing well. Weeded and added a barrow full of compost, evening out the bed. Planted two eggplant starts in the formerly higher side, and seeded the rest of the row with beans. Not enough fencing left for the whole row, but I protected the eggplants.edit |
| back west one | 3 | 8 | 24 | March: turnip greens (or other random brassica?) and tat soi growing under glass from fall sowing, peas and radishes planted. Weeded and planted New Zealand spinach on east side of bed 4/22--peas are just up, radishes still small. Expanded bed to west with black cloth early April. Picked brassica 4/21 and 4/30 -- looks more like broccoli raab now. May 12: Brassica still doing well, picked more, left some florets to go to seed. Planted Swiss Chard, New Zealand Spinach and Collards in the empty spaces in the bed, staked the peas. 5/16: eating the peas now. One swiss chard plant up, but small because it's shaded. A few radishes are large enough to eat. Still waiting for the east side of the bed to fill in. edit |
| silver herb bed (back west two) | 3 | 6 | 18 | Sage (survived the winter!), catmint, Artemesia--all came back. Seeded something (spinach?) early April that didn't sprout. Transplanted lamb's ear here from the yard on 4/21. edit |
| back west three (along path) | 3 | 12.5 | 37.5 | Comfrey -- up 4/21. Picked some for tea (with catmint) 4/30. June: I continue to transplant comfrey here as I find it in the other beds I placed it in temporarily. edit |
| back west four | 6 | 12 | 48 | Wild blackcaps (fence in for protection or just mark boundaries for now and leave space for them) edit |
| Around black pond | 3 | 6 | 18 | To plant: Scarlet monarda. Behind there, in woods: lots of daffodils--all seem to be in bloom 4/21! Smaller, narcissus types bloomed a bit later, still in bloom May 12. edit |
| North of yurt | ||||
| in front of yurt | 8 | Elderberry -- leaves out 4/28. Still no flowers May 12. 5/16: flower buds about to bloom.edit | ||
| front west border | 3 | 8 | 24 | Hyacinth up, short with small peach-colored blooms 4/21; pink and already past their peak 4/28. Planted some ground cover from Laurie's around them May 12. Planted a white hydrangea 4/29, but it looked dead by May 12. Serviceberry leaves showing 4/28! (It had looked dead at the end of last year, presumably eaten by deer.) Mulched and fenced it in better. Planted three nice-looking bush cherries May 12, mulched and fenced. 5/16: Serviceberry and Bush Cherries are doing very well!edit |
| orig square bed | 6 | 5 | 30 | Dianthus ("cheddar pinks"), purple Monarda, greek and italian oregano, thyme and some sorrel. Transplanted more sorrel here 4/21, put sorrel seeds in-between. 5/9, 5/16: dianthus well in bloom now. Sorrel has gone to seed. edit |
| herb spiral | 3' tall | 5' diameter | 19.625 | Under construction, in a round, cleared area where a honeysuckle had been augered out. Small rocks around outside of spiral. Brought in compost and planted sweet woodruff plant 4/29 on north side, with spearmint and peppermint seeds on either side (not yet up). Mulched the whole spiral. May 12: added apple and orange mint (east and west sides, respectively), lungwort and myrtle to the north, and a chervil plant I started indoors to the south. Put in some dill seeds near the chervil. 5/9: annuals died off or didn't sprout. Added some brown-eyed susan and viala starts on the north side. 5/16: one brown-eyed susan still alive, but tiny. Violas might make it. Added compost all along lower south side, planted radish and chamomile seeds to try to fill it in.edit |
| yellow island | 5 | 9 | 45 | forsythia (blooming 4/21), tulips (up 4/21, one orange one in bloom 5/12), daylillies (lots of leaves up 5/12), blackcaps. Rhododendrun. Weeded a lot on May 12, then added white scylla from Laurie's and a ginger mint plant. 5/9: planted several small lemon balm plants along the west side of the bed--they were still alive 5/16! Daylillies buds visible 5/16. Purple flower from Laurie in bloom here: campanula glomerata?edit |
| front west one | 3 | 8 | 24 | 3 to 4 Blueberries, not looking too good 4/21. 5/16: Growing, but drowning in weeds. To add: woodchips edit |
| front west two | 3 | 8 | 24 | asparagus (not yet up), evening primrose, azalea. Daffodils in bloom 4/21. Mulched other half of bed. Added some lungwort at the far end of the bed May 12. Gave up and half-covered with tarp 5/9.edit |
| 4 | my mint outcroppings: of the four original, chocolate, peppermint, spearmint, and apple mint I think only two are left. (Due to weeds and being in the shade, I'd say.) edit | |||
| front west three (new trench) | 3 | 8 | 24 | Italian Ciccoria planted under glass early April, not up 4/21 (got too hot?); reseeded then. (Chard also tried, but not re-seeded.) Mulch and black ground cover on the rest for most of April. Brought in compost and more mulch 4/23, planted 3 clusters of pumpkins, 4 of yellow squash (3 seeds each), with three different kinds of bush beans in-between (3 of a kind between each cucurbit trio), covered all with clear plastic. Let it get some rain 4/29, then re-covered. May 12: greens never took, but squash and beans thrived under the plastic cover -- all about 4 inches high/wide. Took cover off May 12, saw a couple leaves wilted the next day, but watered and left uncovered, hoping for the best. (They have to survive sun, cool nights and animals, because they aren't fenced in.) 5/9: the squash and beans all disappeared, except for one little squash plant! Eaten! Weeded and re-seeded with kale.edit |
| new trench (front east one) | 3 | 12 | 24 | Potatoes under hay in lower half. First batch not doing so well, planted more 4/21. Upper half: brought in compost, planted basil, eggplant, marigolds and one Fourth of July tomato, put under clear plastic 4/28 after a night of frost. Tomato gone, only a few basil seeds and maybe some marigolds sprouted as of May 12. Potatoes not coming up. Planted some beets down the middle for kicks, left uncovered.5/9: potatoes doing nicely. Threw hay in the trench, mulched sides with lawn clipping. Seeded New Zealand Spinach on the upper half, where I'd tried other things without success. 5/16: added a bit more hay to the potatoes, which are still doing nicely. edit |
| front east two | 3.5 | 10 | 35 | Grapes, blueberries--not much life seen 4/22, blueberry has leaves 4/28, needs weeding. 5/16: still needs weeding. edit |
| front east lower border | 3.5 | 10 | 35 | Hazelnut, tansy, garlic. Two new hazelnuts planted 4/21, surrounded by small hardneck garlic cloves for permanent circles of garlic. 5/9: accidentally mowed over the tansy, but it will come back. 5/16: all hazelnuts are doing well, garlic too. Original hazelnut has the most weeds, but all are leafy, and perhaps a bit of catkin seen. edit |
| front east three | 3.5 | 8 | 28 | Rhubarb--up 4/21 with larger than golf-ball-sized round buds. Purchased and planted three strawberry plants next to them 4/29, lots of mulch. May 12: strawberries still alive; just letting the rhubarb grow this year, didn't pick it. 5/16: strawberries still alive! Never got around the clipping the flower buds off the rhubarb, oops.edit |
| front east four | 3.5 | 12 | 28 | Horseradish--up 4/21. Mulched 4/22, brought in some compost and planted beets in north 1/3. Planted an artichoke on north end 4/29, mulched all a lot. To plant in last 1/3 of trench: chard? (if the old asparagus from last year still doesn't come up). May 12: artichoke no longer there, beets not up, but horseradish is looking great. 5/16: horseradish still looks great. Seeded some collards in the northern 1/3 of the bed.edit |
| front east five | 3.5 | 12 | 28 | 4/22: 1/3 covered in clear plastic and mulch; 2/3 with black ground cover. Added compost May 12 to the 1/3 under plastic, intending to plant jerusalem artichoke, but the tubers needed to be divided still. Recovered with black ground cloth. 5/16: weeded and added compost to the northern 1/3, then planted some collards.edit |
| original bluberries | 3 | up but no leaves 4/21. 5/16: one has leaves but is tiny, the other is MIA.edit | ||
| dwarf orchard | 14 | 20 | ~14 now, many more holes dug | Low-bush blueberries budding and delphinium leaves up 4/22. Two scrawny-looking pawpaws (single stem, small root ball) planted 4/21. May 12: delphinium seems dead. Planted two weak-looking honeyberry and three bareroot Manchurian apricots (all from Burgess), fenced in the honeyberry and space for more lowbush blueberries. 5/16: honeyberries didn't take off. Lowbush blueberries looking good, but need weeding. For the future: honeyberries (try again), mulberries, cranberries, lingon berries, butterfly weed, daffodils. edit |
| Other plots | ||||
| ribes patch | 10 | 6 | 60 | red, black,and 'champagne' currents, gooseberries. Haven't really produced yet. In the fall: add compost and garlic! edit |
| standard and semi-dwarf orchard | Lots of holes augered at varying distances. Nothing planted yet. Pomes and nut trees planned. edit | |||
| "rice island" | 2 | chives -- are they still alive? if so, bring up closer. Rice never worked out. edit | ||
| Total | 790, in theory | total square footage under attempted cultivation edit | ||
In addition to the locally-purchased seeds, I bought some things online: Spring 2008 purchases (mostly perennial) and mushrooms.