Yard to Table Landscape

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Building this garden was just the case. We were presented with a small plot in the middle of a boulder field, and needed to figure out how to level the area without machinery.  The solution was removing what we could, then turning the large boulders round and round, until they finally sunk down into the ground and could be leveled over.

Next we laid out the raised beds, which were designed to maximize the growing area of such a compact space. The beds were built of all pressure treated lumber and edged with 2x4s so as to provide for a comfortable area to sit and weed or plant. 

The 5' fencing came next. Deer-proof gardens are proclaimed to have 8' fences, but 5' is more than effective. Fencing supports were in fact recycled from cedar trees which we had felled the previous year. Cedar is naturally weather resistant, so it was just a matter of securing the poles firmly into the soil (with cement) and form fitting the beds around them, so that they could eventually support the wire fencing.

Wire fencing was secured into place with staples and more wood. With the leftover cedar pieces, a custom door was milled to match. Finishing touches included filling all beds with a beautiful dark compost, and laying ground fabric as the base for a gravel floor. The garden was planted with late summer crops, including fennel, chard and a variety of herbs.