2012 is year two for the Permaculture Test Patch here in Niagara. we have recently expanded, from 12x18 feet to 19.5x18, plus a 3 foot wide space along the entire back fence, all connected. so far, we have approximately 452 square feet of garden space, with further room to expand by late spring.
in 2011, we successfully planted many species of vegetables, fruits and herbs, using white clover as a 'living mulch' or ground cover on the garden bed. the clover helps to keep the bed moist and shaded from the sun, and returns nitrogen to the soil.
our bounty last year included 8 different species of tomato [heirloom, cherry, grape, roma, beefsteak etc.], green, red and purple bell peppers, jalapenos, opo squash, eggplant, cucumbers, raspberries, strawberries, and many herbs such as sage, savoury, chamomile, rosemary, lavender, 3 different species of mint, sweet basil, and one or two more. we also started blackberries and blueberries, they didn't bear any fruit last year, but we're hopeful they will produce this season.
we spent the day in the yard building planter boxes, and creating hanging baskets for the herbs that we plan to bring in and keep alive and fresh for the winter. a lot of this year's garden expansion will be started from adopted seedlings as we don't have much indoor space to start seeds. next year we plan to have a room dedicated to do so.
our next post will be the step-by-step process of using old shipping pallets to build planter boxes.
No comments:
Post a Comment