Nursery Garden
In previous posts, when I mention that I have a nursery garden, there are always lots of questions about what exactly this is. I figured it deserved a dedicated post, to explain the method to the madness that is my nursery garden. There’s an area in my main vegetable garden that is dedicated to growing out perennials. I have been known to purchase plants without having a place in the borders for them, this is now the spot they get planted as soon as I get home.
Each year, the nursery area grows as I acquire more plants than I have garden space for. Some of these I purchase with a specific spot in mind, but that garden bed isn’t prepared for perennials yet. We have some difficult weeds here that must be completely eradicated before planting new perennials, otherwise the perennials would be choked out in a few years. It’s much easier to deal with invasive weeds when there are no perennials in the garden. My nursery bed is a place where plants can go into the ground while they wait a year or two for their new space to be weed free. They grow out and sometimes reach their mature size. I also like growing out plants in a nursery bed because a new garden area can be filled with mature plants for instant impact.
The nursery bed is also a space where I plant starts I get from other gardens. In this type of garden I can easily see if there are any perennial weed hitchhikers in with the new plants. It’s much easier to deal with them in a nursery bed area than if they are planted directly into a mature garden bed.
Another reason to plant in a nursery bed is to monitor how the plants like your soil and environment. I often purchase one plant and monitor how it grows before deciding to plant in en masse in the garden. This can save you a bundle when decided on a specific cultivar for a hedge. It also gives me an idea of how fast the plant grows and if it has a tendency to become a nuisance as a seeder or spreader. I also like to watch how the plant grows and what shape it takes one, sometimes things grow larger than the tag says they will, sometimes they grow smaller. Growing them out in a nursery bed gives me a better sense of where they need to go in the garden.
Having a dedicated nursery area also allows me to spend less time managing plants. I’m less likely to forget to water cuttings and small plants if they are all located in one area. For me, it makes sense to keep them all in one area and move them as they mature and as I decide where they would perform best in the garden. My nursery bed area is roughly 500 square feet and it seems to get larger each year. I’m in the process of starting boxwood for a hedge, so it will get bigger before it gets smaller.
Do you have a dedicated nursery area?
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Sunset Runner Beans
I’m always balancing production and beauty when it comes to vegetables. Trying new varieties is something I love to do. When I saw the ‘Sunset’ runner beans in the Baker Creek Catalog I knew I had to try them.
They’ve proven to be beautiful when they bloom! They’re just starting to produce beans, so I haven’t tasted them yet, but I’m really looking forward to it. If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been last week and this week, I had a friend visiting from out of town. I managed to get a few posts written, but catching up was higher on my priority list.
What new varieties of vegetables did you try this week?
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Friday Favorite: Community Gardens
Last week, when my friend and I were in Vermont, we stumbled across a lovely community garden in Shelburne Falls. There are a good number of plots, all of them unique, and each one beautiful. Together, they formed a beautiful garden quilt brimming with vegetables and flowers. There’s something wonderful about people coming together and making a garden in a public space. Growing food for their friends and families and cultivating community while they do. I could go on and on telling you about what we saw, but luckily I had my camera so you can see them for yourself (even if photos don’t quite do it justice).
We spent quite awhile walking around this garden admiring all the plots and getting ideas for our edible gardens. I love seeing real gardens, the ones people live in and use. Botanical gardens are nice in their own way, but often what we see is not attainable for us in our own spaces. Community gardens like this one are truly the most beautiful gardens of all!
Have you ever had a plot in a community garden? Are there any in your area?
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Lovely Lavender
At the beginning of July I stopped at Glendarragh Lavender Farm in the next town over. I needed to get both fresh and dried lavender to make infusions with jojoba for a blog post on The Jojoba Company’s website. The air was thick with the smell of lavender, it was quite amazing. It’s a wonder I didn’t sleep on the way home with all that lavender in my car. As far as herbs, lavender isn’t my favorite for scent, but it has been growing on me, especially the fresh lavender I got from the farm. I find some types of dried lavender to be a little overpowering.
Currently, I don’t have any lavender plants in my garden, they were all left in Ohio. This past winter I winter sowed a packet of seeds and have a few tiny lavender seedlings that need transplanting to the nursery beds. In a few years I’ll be able to harvest my own lavender for infusions. Head on over to The Jojoba Company’s blog to see more photos of this lovely farm and for directions to make a lavender infusion.
What’s your favorite herbal scent?
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So.Much.Cuteness
There’s so much cuteness in the bird yard. The turkey cutlets are growing up, but a second brood hatched while I was in Vermont last week. I only let the hen sit on two eggs since I don’t want to be overrun by turkeys this fall! The first clutch of turkeys are starting to become more independent, though they still roost with mom on chilly evenings.
Mama duck also hatched a dozen littles on Monday. They’re already out and about in the bird yard, catching bugs and eating grass. Ducklings are probably my favorite of all the babies we have here on the farm.
There’s always lots of excitement when little birds hatch out, but it also means that it’s time to think about which of the adult birds need to go. The ducklings will be raised up and sold as adults next spring. The turkeys will be slaughtered this fall for winter eating. The older layers will be slaughtered and will make wonderful stock and soup.
What’s your favorite baby animal?
