26 April 2009

Le Potager







We (my wonderful man/men children & I) spent most of yesterday attempting to eradicate the running bamboo from one of the gardens.  It truly is one of the most difficult things to get rid of, and I am once again thankful that we have a tractor to do much of the ripping/pulling/digging. Have you ever seen a plant that is angry when you attempt to remove it?  Well, let me tell you, bamboo is absolutely furious...

The reason that I want the bamboo out of this garden, now, is that this particular garden gets sun nearly all day long.  It is the perfect place for me to put in a potager.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to have a potager on the property!  I love the idea of mixing flowers and edibles.  We currently have a garden pasture - a large area where there are two raised beds for vegetables, as well as an espalier asian pear, grapes, blueberries, thornless blackberries (although we prefer the wild ones that grow all along one side of our property even if they make us crazy with their thorny canes!), strawberries, various flowers, and 2 beds for raspberries.  The potager will be closer to the house and will be where I grow all of my herbs, a  number of cut flowers, tomatoes, peas, as well as roses.  Right now I am in the planning stages - we measured the space and I sketched it out last night.  Today we need to complete the removal of the bamboo, and then level the space, moving a rock wall a bit and adding some compost.  It is a big job but it will be so worth it when it is finished!

Below is a photo taken yesterday from the deck off our our master suite, looking down on the current state of the garden.  I am happy to tell you that most of the bamboo is gone.  However, it still looks nearly this awful...  Stay tuned!



xo

8 comments:

Sherry said...

There are some plants that just cling on for dear life and do not want to be removed...and it's frustrating, and often back breaking to get it "gone"!!

I love the idea of a potager and look forward to seeing photographs as this new plant life begins!

Joyce said...

I look forward to walking with you as you create your potager. I have been itching to get my butterfly garden going. A friend of mine that has a wonderful green thumb offered to help me. Now if only Mr. Rain would visit another place at least until my garden is planted. Enjoy! xoxo

Marci said...

What a lovely blog! I like how you say in the "about me" section something about a chance for improvement every day. Well said and fabulous point!

Here, There, Elsewhere... and more said...

Great post - I have a jardin potager and have always mixed flowers and edibles (it's good for the soil too) as it makes for a more "natural" look + reduces the need for chemicals to protect the veggies...love your blog:)

Kristin said...

Oh your garden-to-be sounds wonderful! I am looking forward to seeing wonderful potager come to fruition for you!

Smiles to you and sunshine to your day!

Debra said...

Ohhh... we had some bamboo in the back of our first home. The DREADED BAMBOO!!! We tried so many things. At one point {and this was years ago...I'd never do this now} we poured gasoline down through the center. I know you will create something stunning- please share your beautiful photos.

Ciara Brehony said...

Oh this looks promising all right! And amazing!

I am feeling more and more guilty when I see friends and family growing their own food in tiny suburban gardens, and even apartments! Here we have all this space and nothing but wild roses doing their thang... sigh...

I would dearly love to. But when???? !

You are an inspiration!

onegoldensun said...

How lovely your blog is. I have so many aspirations for my garden, as well. I look forward to following it's progress. I know that bamboo is a hassle, but my kids remember so fondly the days in the country when we had a "bamboo forest," they loved it dearly!