Thursday, May 29, 2008

The Year in Review

We're a few weeks into year two of our garden reclamation project and things are looking good so far. Here's a quick overview of the work we did last year:

A view from the southwest corner. This space is about 50' x 50' and was once a fully cultivated and productive vegetable garden. Note the raspberry thicket in the northeast corner and the massive rhubarb patch next to the dilapidated asparagus box. The rest of the green stuff is mostly grass and creeping charlie at this point.


After tilling and planting the west side.


Straw mulch, as a measure against the encroaching grasses...


A few weeks later, we've got cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, borage, melons, lettuces, herbs and beans coming along, among other things. The resident asparagus has leafed out nicely and (in the upper right) bird-seeded grape vines now cover the raspberries. On the east side, we've spread a large sheet of plastic to kill grass and weeds.


Tilling is man's work.

East side, post-tilling. Better, but still a long way to go.


Mid-summer.


And a bit later... Tomatoes are ripening, a few zinnias are blooming among the rat-tailed radishes, and a volunteer sunflower has made itself at home. Honey bees are buzzing in the beardstongue and borage. Green manure of winter rye, field peas, ryegrass, crimson clover and hairy vetch is well-established on the east.


And that’s about it for last year, since I can’t find any photos from the Fall...


And here we are again in early Spring (maple-syruping time).