Courtyard Potager Garden Design ~ Revised

Well Folks, I'd like to hear what you think.

So Far!

From the time I was young and dust was new,

I was taught that you don't show incomplete projects.

For the most part, I've kept pretty true to that teaching.

Where it originated?  and why?

Maybe it's one more effect of media showing us everything from start to finish

 in 20 minutes or a 4 page spread.

I know not.

This was taken the first or second year we had the garden back here.

In the last post, I mentioned that we usually have one or two larger projects going at any one time as well as multiple smaller projects.

That got me to thinking.

So many little, huge, ginormous pockets of our time are spent on these projects, not sharing seems wrong.

After all, life itself is just one big unfinished project.

Isn't it better to show the progress and set backs and share encouragement, joy and sorrow then to hide it all away to the end?

The string lines are difficult to see but that's how much the paths migrated.

With that said, I'm throwing caution to the wind, breaking the rules, and

showing you one of our unfinished projects.

When I initially laid out our current garden design,

I used a traditional courtyard layout with grass paths.

I loved it for maybe that first year.

After that, it became a nuisance to mow, and 

the grass wouldn't stay out of the garden plots.

Over the course of a few years, the paths "migrated,"

so the plots were no longer square and even.

Back to the drawing board I went.

We had a huge pile of salvaged regular red bricks.

It couldn't be just a red brick road.

The artsy side of me can't do that.

This is as far as we got last fall.

I came up with a design and worked 16" pebble covered grey bricks into the path with the red bricks in a basket weave design to fill in.

We began last fall, then it froze and sat all winter incomplete.

And here I must mention,

I have an absolutely wonderful husband.

He has done this project for me.  

Other than packing a brick or two or fetching a tool, he has done the work.

I draw up a design and he builds/constructs etc.

Tilled the whole thing in order to cut the path.

All the full bricks are in place and he has been cutting bricks to fill in the edges.

That part is a slower, more tedious process

which is why most folks don't do it.

I figure if we are going to do it, we might as well have something we really like.

And yes, he likes it too.

So now, even though it's not complete, I'm loving it.

Can you see how nicely those bricks follow the string line?

I'm also looking forward to not having to mow around a circle while trying not to run over lettuce or beans, etc.

I am excited to be in the garden again and have planted a few things, but

it's only April, and weather can be sketchy so I'm trying to mind myself

and be good.

But oooh, those winter, store-bought tomatoes are disgraceful

and make me want to plant early. ~but I digress~

There is a bed of gravel under the bricks.

I'll keep you posted and share when the filler bricks are cut and in place.

I would love to know what you think - do you like to see works in progress

or prefer finished projects?

                                                 

PS~ These first two books are in my home library.  The Courtyard book is wonderful and offers great inspiration for various styles.

Marco - Polo - I'm Over Here

I haven't been getting much stitching accomplished.

I've been playing here.

And believe it or not,

Yes, I do weed the garden.

I haven't had a garden for about 3 years.

When Mr. LB and I were discussing it,

I said I might put it here

as it gets good sun and is close to water.

 I also said, "I have an idea."

He is so patient.

I didn't tell him my idea.

One day he came home, and I had it all staked out.

I wanted it to look nice-

like more of a court yard garden

that we could eat:)

Many of the plants are just small,

but are growing.

Think we have enough lettuce?

There are flowers and cucumbers

planted around the bird-bath.

I'm not wild about the grass path.

It's too difficult to maneuver the lawn mower

around without running over food

and still getting to all the grass.

Come fall or next spring, 

we might be laying some brick.

Will also be changing the bean trellis.

We have a humming bird feeder over to the left of this.

I actually caught 4.

One, you can only see the tail of

at the bottom of the feeder.

I usually call them the buzzards

since they will buzz by close.

Last night while were were eating,

there must have been a dozen of them.

We actually have 2 feeders.

I fill one, one day

and the other the next.

At the end of the day,

more than my gloves are tired.

On another note,

This weekend is Baker City Quilt Show.

Mom took 18 quilts over for 3 of us just yesterday.

You can look forward to pictures next week.

Until Next Time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches