Having overcome a major renovation hurdle, Roddy can now shift his focus to the out-of-doors. After a long overdue yoga session this afternoon, I returned home to find him marking garden plots in the field with stakes and outdoor measuring tape. This comes after some initial plotting last autumn and many iterations of the garden plan we’ve been creatively drawing up since Halloween weekend.
Our plans are shaping out like this: in the photo above, one of our small orchards will be planted in the bottom left square (just to the left of where I’m balancing on one foot to knock the snow out of my Blunnie. I need snow boots!). The area I’m standing in, from the barn on the right to the house which this photo is taken from, will be a cascading flower garden with an inviting social space between me and the barn.
Now before I go further here, lets pause for a moment and celebrate our prospective orchard. Imagine with me, if you will, fruit dripping from branches of differing heights. Meandering paths through a meadow of tall grass and delicate wildflowers. The odd black currant or gooseberry bush. A discreet hammock strung between sturdy trunks.
Bliss!
Obviously it will take time to get there but my grandma filled me with optimism a few days ago when she told of the prolific fruit trees she and my grandpa planted in Exeter. With a little care they grew at an alarming rate! The sooner young trees are planted the sooner we’ll be picking from their branches - so this year the orchard plots are a priority.
Moving along then, with slightly soaked foot, above I’m striking off in the direction of this year’s market garden veggie beds - four 50′ x 50′ square plots bisected by 5′ paths. These beds make up about a quarter of an acre. Much of the remaining field will be planted in green manures and wild flowers, and lined with berry bushes. Any suggestions for the chicken coop and free-range zone? And a small plot of lavender blowing in the breeze would be lovely, don’t you think?
We may add more veggie beds but a 1/4 acre feels comfortable for our first year, especially since it’s largely a one-man show in the field. My job is particularly demanding this year so we can’t realistically count on much more than two days help a week from me.
Having said that, just as I was drawn out to the snow to see what Roddy was up to this afternoon, I’m sure that as spring creeps up on us and summer draws near I’ll gravitate to the seedling room and out to the field to take quick breaks here and there. Our new sleeping patterns have rewarded me with the satisfaction of being a productive morning person for a change. I’ll try to keep riding that wave so that come spring I can seamlessly slip into a routine of getting my hands dirty before the keyboard tapping, phone dialing and pen twirling begin.
This is the course we’re trying to chart anyway - keeping things manageable enough that we still have time to have fun and enjoy our garden space… while trying to live peacefully among the raccoons, who are also laying tracks around Gothic Cottage.
