"Use to be an herb farm" . . .

- the words leapt off the page of real estate listings!

I called for an appointment - just to see it, you know. Two small stone buildings and . . . a greenhouse! What potential. That was late in 2004. Lots of work has been done with lots more to go. The gardens surrounded by stonewalls are filling with herbs, wild flowers, medicinal plants, vegetables and fruit trees. Turkeys walk thru as well as a fox. Hawks glide over head. Hummingbirds visit the arbor with scarlet runners planted just for them. Plans for more garden beds fill the air. Stone walkways are taking shape adding to those that have existed here for years. The greenhouse will be planted again for the fall and winter.

The days fly by! Must get back to work.

This property was part of a larger farm years ago. In more recent years Dorothy Norton, one of the members of the Folly Cove Designers lived here. Her sister Peggy, also a Folly Cove Designer member, lived in the little house out front. They had an herb mail order business with many items offered from the plants they grew.

Update:
The gardens are coming along with many loads of seaweed, marsh grass and other composted able materials added. The greenhouse is now thriving after many years of work on the soil. It provided greens for the table most every day. It also houses several potted plants-the neighbor's and mine-during the winter months.

Fall planting . . .

Much of the time in the garden this week has been spent weeding! Not enough time spent there earlier in the growing season and not enough mulch to get us through the dry spell.

Irene took down much of the corn. The stocks were down in all points of the compass as if a whirlwind hit them.

On the plus side the greenhouse has a new roof!

The green beans have almost reached the netting! The kale will be ready to transplant next week.

What to do?

We have a wonderful greenhouse with a stone knee wall with a wood frame. It was originally fitted with glass. Since there are several large tree limbs above the greenhouse we have not replaced the glass. A while ago we covered the greenhouse with greenhouse plastic film which needs to be replaced.

The suggested solution is an aluminum roof system with a double walled polycarbonite sheet material. But . . . we do not like the look! What to do?

Any one have suggestions?

Update on seed starting . . .

Cabbage seeds have sprouted in the greenhouse!

Working in the greenhouse . . .

Rain this morning. Good day to continue the prep work in the greenhouse beds. The soil is poor. Lots of rocks and some tree roots that need to go.

The key to improving the soil is lots of wonderful compost.

There are several locations around the yard with compost ready to dig from years of not being cultivated. In addition, as I work in the gardens, I have compost piles near by each bed which I add to as I weed, deadhead, harvest and prune. The largest pile is covered with landscape cloth to allow the rain to be added while the moisture is retained. It is amazing how soon the piles become useful compost!

The following technique I learned from my aunt who gardened in a skirt and high heels!

There is always a small container in my sink for any green garbage that came from the earth: vegetable peels, bits of fruit and flowers past their moment. Everyday I take the waste into the greenhouse, dig a hole, put the material in and chop it up a bit. Sometimes I add water. In no time the green waste has become a wonderful part of the soil. Even I do that dressed up on my way out!

My methods may seem a bit random but it works for me. When I need compost in the yard a pile is near by. No long haul from one end of the yard to the other.

For a more traditional approach:
Composting the Easy Way by Michael J. McGroarty from his Gardening articles

Having an ample supply of good rich compost is the gardeners' dream. It has many uses, and all of those uses will result in nicer plants. However, composting can be time consuming and hard work. I place a reasonable value on my time, so spending hours and hours turning compost piles doesn’t qualify as a worthwhile exercise, at least in my book. Nonetheless, I do compost, but I do so on my terms.

I built two composting bins. Each bin is five feet wide, five feet deep, and four feet high. I built the bins by sinking 4” by 4” posts in the ground for the corners, and then nailed 2 by 4’s and 1 by 4’s, alternating on the sides. I left 2” gaps between the boards for air circulation. The 2 by 4’s are rigid enough to keep the sides from bowing out, and in between each 2 by 4 I used 1 by 4’s to save a little money. The bins are only 3 sided, I left the front of the bins open so they can be filled and emptied easily.

Photos of my compost bins are on this page

The whole article by Michael J. McGroarty

"Use to be an herb farm" . . .

- the words leapt off the page of real estate listings! I called for an appointment - just to see it, you know. Two small stone buildings and . . . a greenhouse! What potential. . . for the rest of the story