A Large Garden

“I never had any other desire so strong, and so like covetousness, as that… I might be master at last of a small house and a large garden, with very moderate conveniences joined to them, and there dedicate the remainder of my life to the culture of them and the study of nature.”~Abraham Crowley
I’m a city girl with a country heart. I have dreams of living on a smallholding on the edge of a quiet village, where I can step out my back door that leads directly into my kitchen garden and the loudest sounds come from the birds, the wind in the trees and the chirrup of frogs and crickets.
The reality is, when I step out my door I walk down three flights of steps to the asphalt of the parking lot of the building I live in and the sound of traffic is louder than the birds and wind in the trees.
What’s a Laura Ingalls Wilder loving girl to do? Weep into her bonnet? Never! No, instead I’m working on creating a hybrid life, with the best of both worlds. I take advantage of big city amenities and live out the country life my heart longs for, in the midst of hustle and bustle.
The biggest and most exciting addition to my country-in-the-city life is access to a 1/2 acre of land which will be the growing site of the Wild Garden. As part of an amazing opportunity offered through the Just Food Start-Up Farm Program, I can live out my rural dreams in an urban environment.
I’m thrilled to have a piece of land that I can steward for a long time. My goal is to implement a permaculture design for the site that will improve soil fertility, increase biodiversity, establish at-risk native plants, harvest and conserve water, produce exceptional medicinal and wild, edible plants, and of course look beautiful! I have a looooong way to go and a lot of work to do to accomplish those things, but I’ll take it one step at a time, working with nature and observing the land.
This was the site in early spring.  Overgrown with grasses, goldenrod, shrubs and small trees, the land hasn’t been touched in at least 30 years.

Looking north, the back of the site faces a beautiful ravine with a small creek. To the East is a thin wood line with poplars, willows, spruce, pine and fir.

The site was cleared and disced multiple times. The soil in the front half is heavy clay and wet, wet wet! My plan was to start at the front and work my way back, but one look and I had to adjust that. The soil at the back is in much better shape. It still has lots of clay but is mixed with sand and is much better drained. Most of the work done this year will happen in this half.

The goal is to work towards a mostly no-till site, but I have to say I am grateful to have use of a walk-behind rototiller while I’m getting the garden established.

The main crop going in this year is oats. As a cover crop, oats will add organic matter to the soil, improving soil condition, (hopefully) suppress weeds, retain moisture and reduce erosion. Oats are a wonderful medicinal plant as well, used as a nourishing infusion rich in minerals to support the nervous system. I’ve also planted smaller amounts of red clover and alfalfa, both nitrogen-fixing cover crops with medicinal uses as well.

Later this season I hope to lay out permanent raised beds on contour, but because I had plant starts that desperately needed to get into the ground, I’ve been planting things in one area rather haphazardly. It’s not ideal, but the plants aren’t complaining. I’m still working out the permaculture design on paper, but have a good idea of what I want the large elements to be and where I want them to go. No doubt this will change over time as I get to know the land more intimately and learn from my mistakes.
From a glance, it doesn’t look like much is going on, but I’m happy to report that the oats, alfalfa and clover are up and so far there are 36 different kinds of plants in the ground. This is just the beginning of a long and exciting journey; a journey that I’m thrilled to be on!