Even though I'm thinking constantly about my garden these days, I'm not actually at home right now. I just had a total thyroidectomy, so I'm recuperating at my parents' house in Seattle for a few days. I haven't had much time to familiarize myself with the quirks and microclimates of our property yet, but I have a pretty good idea of a basic, preliminary plan for each of the three main areas. This post brought to you by hydrocodone and dreams. . . .
The first area of our property is the front yard. The front facade of the house faces north, and though this may not be ideal it seems as if there will be decent sun out there as there's no big street trees or anything. We have a white picket fence (squee!) and the garden bed borders the lawn along the fence line. At this time, the only plants growing in the bed are a lavender bush and a peony, so I'm very psyched to fill it up with plants that I can choose myself, rather than having to work around a bunch of dumb tiger lilies or something.
The second zone is the chicken run. It is fenced on all sides and encompasses the side yard and part of the backyard. I'm so glad this was here already so I didn't have to build anything, as fun as building the coop at our last place was. So far, this area contains the coop, the compost bin, and a lilac bush. The ground is covered in wood chips and weeds, a pretty good surface for chickens, but I also see this space as a blank slate wherein I can plant chicken-friendly plants that will function as shelter from airborne predators or the elements.
The last zone is a cute little brick-paved patio which is accessed from the driveway and from steps out the mudroom, which makes it perfectly placed for entertaining visitors in summer, planting things in containers, and grilling everything that's edible and not nailed down. It is on the south side of the house, but it has fences and the shed enclosing it on all sides. My friend Amber, who knows about this kind of stuff, tells me the brick paving will mean this area will be somewhat warmer than other zones.
So now that you know a little bit about the three zones, here's a quick rundown of my plans. I will be planting a varied mix of perennials and annuals, edibles and ornamentals, in the front yard. I want a large variety but I'm most interested in perennial edible plants, like rhubarb, artichoke, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and so on, as well as perennial herbs/medicinals like rosemary, thyme, sage, chives, anise hyssop, and of course, comfrey. I don't think one is allowed to have a permaculture garden without comfrey in it. Then, I will tuck annual veggies and flowers in between all these.
The chicken run seems to be a perfect place for native woodland plants, and so I am looking to add Oregon grape, salal, various ferns, and so on. I would also really like to try growing mushrooms out there, perhaps tucking a few pre-inoculated logs under plants or in moist, shady corners. I also want to add things like a dust bath area and other amenities for the ladies.
The patio seems to me to be the best place for growing tomatoes and annual herbs in containers, since it is easily accessible from the kitchen. It will also have the usual patio suspects like a picnic table, the grill, and my beloved aluminum-frame, nylon-webbed lawn chairs. The fences and walls on all sides will be great for hanging Woolly Pockets and slinging strings of cafe lights. Additionally, the landlord may be adding a built-in planter as part of the fence separating the patio from the chicken run, which I feel will be the perfect spot for some bamboo.
Okay, that's it for now! Pictures to follow if it is ever sunny again.
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