I feel like I've been introducing us for decades, and I have...as leatherworkers, as artists, and now as farmers. We've always "farmed" our little Florida backyard (as you can see at the old site), and we're very much looking forward to scaling up on this new property!
The picture above is the kitchen garden in progress, and the completed patio area. I've always wanted a pergola, and Dan made sure we were getting one when we moved! As well as a (his words) "patio on which you can land a small plane." Mission accomplished!
We've been working on infrastructure here since we moved in May, and it isn't nearly done yet. The well irrigation is set up, though many PVC distribution lines still need to be run before spring.
The kitchen garden will serve as our testbed for plantings - basically if something does well there, we like the variety, and/or have an audience for it, it will be planted in subsequent years in larger, in-ground plots.
Fencing is obviously a huge task, and one we're going to tackle piecemeal. Deer tracks have been spotted in the pond mud, so we know perimeter fencing is a must-have - especially when the chestnut seedlings go in. We have a quick and dirty electric fencing solution for the chestnut orchard until spring, and we'll see how that goes.
The kitchen garden will get a short, adorable picket fence ringed by peonies, bearded irises, lavender, and all other manner of flowering things that neither bunnies nor deer like to eat. Though we have been kind of shocked that we've had zero rabbit incursions into the raised beds (yet). It is possible that 15" is just to high to comfortably jump, but we have ample lettuces, rutabagas, etc, overhanging the edges, and nary a nibble. Our fantastic raised beds are by Birdies Garden Products, and you can find them at the awesome Epic Gardening shop. Use our IRONSPRING coupon for a discount on your purchase!
Two hundred chestnut tree seedlings arrive this week, so back to digging holes!