Robin Hill Gardens

Over a year ago I wrote about our dashed compost dreams. We were still at the condo then and the trustees vetoed the idea of a compost bin. Well, a year later the dream became possible again and we purchased two Earth Machines. Here is one of them, the active one:

We followed all the rules but still had a swarm of small black flies to contend with. Yesterday, however, when I turned the pile inside the Machine, steam and heat rose up out of it. The pile is cooking! We are doing it right!

We’re also implementing the simplest of a grey water system. When I rinse fruits and vegetables, I catch the water in the kitchen sink in a tub, and we use that for watering the plants. Amie loves her little yellow watering can.

I splurged a bit with a gift card given to us by dear friends as a house warming present. I drove to the garden center in town and purchased:

1. parsley
2. cilantro x 2
3. thyme
4. rosemary x 2
5. dill
6. bay laurel
7. nana curry plant
8. genovese basil x 2
9. mint
10. oregano
11. tarragon
12. sage
13. marjoram

A month ago we bought a large cherry tomato plant and it is over eight feet high now. We’ll have to use a ladder to harvest the highest fruits! There are lots of fruits on it, but they are as yet all green. We also have a smaller plum tomato plant and 4 belle pepper plants. Can you believe that a little bit over a year ago I had no idea that tomatoes grow out of flowers!

It’s not nearly the garden we envision, yet, but it feels so good to have made a start. Who knows, which of the perennials we’ll still be harvesting from in five years’ time?

Amie has taken to gardening. A month ago, after reading Caillou in the Garden, she planted some basil seeds in a pot and made a marker. Then she sat down, and waited. Now the wait is paying off:

Our woodpile has grown considerably and is no longer wobbly. Probably all this wood won’t be cured well enough by this winter, so we’ll have to buy three extra cords. Forking out the money for them will get us going on the wood stove purchase. We’ll probably get a chimney sweep to check out our chimney and to advise us about a proper stove. We’re very much leaning toward a stand-alone stove, so we can heat tea and stews on it.

And you know what: I made jam! Of the many blueberries I got a the Farmer’s Market. It’s only freezer jam, and amounted to only three jars, but what an accomplishment it was for me! And Amie loves it.

And last but not least, some of the wildlife, right in front of our house. One more reason to include a garden fence in our plans.

We’re moving ourselves and the rest of our stuff this weekend. Then we need to unpack, figure out which boiler and water heater to buy and who should install it. Then insulation. Then select the wood stove (any suggestions? the choice on the market is overwhelming, but we don’t want to go pellets).

And that’s it for the big things in the house. Some will unfortunately have to wait till next year: the solar water heater, for instance.

Then, finally, we’ll be turning our attention to the garden. Those.7 acres – isn’t it lovely, that though you don’t have a whole acre really, you still get to say point-seven-acres?

As I look at all that outdoor space, my big vision is looking too, over my shoulder. And I keep telling myself: keep the dream big, but take manageable steps. First things first: get the soil ready for next year.

As for the edible garden. Where and how to clear the stones and the brush and the saplings and the poison ivy for next season’s veggie and fruit garden? Where to get compost and mulch? Should we top it all up with some topsoil? What to fence in? Should we bring down some of the larger, more lovely trees to “make” sunlight?

As for the front yard. Due to the huge new leach field, most of it won’t be used for edible  or deep-rooted plants, so what to grow there then?

And what to grow in the “relaxation” and “entertainment” garden round back?

Dreaming big…