Presentation #2 - Garden Methods
Prepare to be inspired some more!
Let's say you have your soil test results, and you have observed and analyzed your prospective garden site, and included this information on your graph paper drawing.
You already have loads of information!
What to do next? This is when you can decide what kind of garden methods would work in your space, or in different parts of your space. I'll discuss a number of options here while you consider which of them would be doable for that shady spot, or that place that's always wet, or to work into a porch or gathering area - or whatever you have!
We will be discussing:
- Design concepts
- Terrace/spiral
- Guilds
- Alleyways
- Raised beds (framed or unframed)
- Vertical growing
- Containers
Note: These photos all come from books - the numbers with the photos correspond with the books in the source list at the end of this presentation.
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Source #1
Design by Exclusion
On the lower left is their analysis, overall, after these observations, such as what is always too wet, what is sunny in the summertime, what is far from the house, etc.
On the lower right is their resulting design. Notice that they placed wetland plants in the upper right area. Berry shrubs and the "summer garden" are in full sun. Fruit trees are in the area farther from the house, as they don't need daily attention, and they can live on the sloped area. The "kitchen garden" and greenhouse are placed near the house - they need constant attention and so need easy daily access.
In such a plan, you can also consider other factors such as air flow patterns and people patterns.
Try this with your plan!
Source #1
Conceptual design samples
This person used "bubble diagrams". They drew a different scenario on each of four maps, trying to find the best, most workable plan. You can see their thought processes here!
Look at each one - why, in each scenario, was this person considering a certain feature for a certain spot? Which plan would you use, if you had the same situation?
There are as many ways to do diagrams as there are people doing them - find what works for you! Would "bubble diagrams" work for you?
Another way this gardener could have worked on the design was to have one map and then do the possible scenarios on separate sheets of acetate that can be put over the map. Also, there are various computer programs now to help you with garden planning. Again, do what works best for you!
Source #1
Sandwiched garden beds
Consider what may already be in place (in this photo - a greenhouse) or what you might plan to put in place (maybe a greenhouse?) along with what you want to grow. Consider sun and shade.
Greens like cooler weather and can take some shade. In this garden photo, you see them sandwiched between trellised plants and a greenhouse. This helps extend the season on the greens. Don't put sun-lovers in a spot like this!
Notice the flowers planted nearby. They are good companions, which we'll discuss in another presentation.
This is similar to the "alleyway" concept that will come later in this presentation.
Source #1
Gathering/resting space
Where do you and your family or visitors gather? Is there a spot that would be good for creating a gathering place? Where do find yourself relaxing, pondering?
Your vegetable garden can be part of the scenery, too - remember that vegetables can be ornamental! Imagine sitting in this place in the morning or evening, thinking about how your garden is doing, observing from this vantage point, thinking of what you'll do next, making plans, maybe just watching butterflies and hummingbirds. It's good to have a place to just sit with your garden - you will notice so much more, and the ideas will flow. And, you can easily step into your garden to do this or that.
Source #1
Walkway
Use spaces that you have. Look at them and think of different ways they could be used. Let your thoughts flow.
This person wanted a pollinator garden, and also needed to keep this walkway connecting the front and back of the property.
This would also work with herbs. Imagine walking by, smelling the herbs, and picking some as you go. Depending on the amount of sun, you might also grow some vegetables along a place like this. The plant in the right foreground is Globe Artichoke - not easy to grow in our area, but it can give you some ideas. And, you can see that it's an interesting looking plant!
This is another garden that is similar to the "alleyway" concept.
Source #8
Terraces
Source #1
Spirals
Do you have a difficult spot where a spiral garden is a good option?
Source #1
Tree guilds
In Permaculture, "guilds" are a major concept - building a community of plants that thrive together according to nutrient, sun, and light needs - growing food at the same time in a small space. "Tree guilds" are commonly used, mimicking the layers of a forest.
Here we see a tall tree (the canopy - could be a nut tree to provide food) supporting a vining plant (in this case, grapes). Below are the "small tree layer" (such as dwarf fruit trees) and shrub layer (like berry bushes). Close to the ground is the herbaceous layer, which can be annual, biennial, or perennial crops. Then the ground cover layer on top of the soil, and the root layer below, which can be root crops.
One thing I do is to grow Comfrey plants around an apple tree. Their large leaves shade and cool the soil. They provide nutrients to the soil and tree roots. They are medicinal for us, they attract pollinators to their arcs of dangling blue flowers, and they are attractive!
Source #1
Tree guild
Here is a tree with under-plantings of plants in various heights. These are ornamental, but you can easily choose herb, vegetable, or fruit crops.
Source #3
Tree guild
Do you have a tree (or more) at your place that you want to keep, and that could be the basis of a tree guild? If so, toy with this idea and do some sketches of what you'd like to grow in the different layers of the guild. This system also keeps a healthy, diverse, balanced ecosystem going, which helps with nutrition and pest control.
Source #1
Alleyways
Now we go back to the concept of "alleyways" mentioned earlier - planting in long areas between taller areas, like the greens sandwiched between the trellises and greenhouse.
In the background is a perennial planting, asparagus, which is on to its "ferny" stage after the season is over and the gardener has quit harvesting the spears. Asparagus can be productive in one spot for 20-30 years, so if you have them or want to grow them - plan to work around them!
The asparagus here creates an "alleyway" with its tallness. Next to it is a wide row (another concept coming up) of an annual crop - I'm assuming sweet potatoes, which flourish in the heat of summer. The poles may be there to support trellising when the gardener needs that for a different crop - but that's just my guess. Then there is another wide bed with more annual crops.
Source #1
Alleyways
Another "alleyway", this shows how rows of annual crops can be tucked between perennials. There are berry shrubs on one side, and young trees (with a grassy walkway) on the other. Between them are wide rows of annual vegetable crops.
Do you have an existing "alleyway" situation at your place? Or, can you create one through your planning of perennial and annual crops?
Source #8
Wide rows
Wide rows are basically raised beds without the frames enclosing and containing them. They are easy to do, and you can keep building up the soil with cover crops, mulch, compost, or rotted manure.
Wide rows also allow you to do staggered plantings and inter-planting, seen here, which also makes it easier to plant companions (we'll get to companions in the next presentation).
As with any raised bed, make the width so that you can easily reach to the middle from either side. For most people, a four foot wide bed is good.
Source #8
Open raised beds
Besides wide rows, you can plant in other shapes for open raised beds, such as the squares and rectangles seen here. One has onions with either cabbages or lettuce - either works fine with onions. Open raised beds are easy to work around, and to build up the soil.
Source #3
Framed raised beds
This photo shows two ideas:
- "Frames" around a raised bed can be minimal as well as decorative. The gardener probably used what was available for weaving these rustic yet pretty borders (especially suitable for historical interpretive gardens). Of course, these "raised beds" don't look deep at all, but you can make them deeper, and make the weaving higher and denser, as was done historically.
- You can use all sorts of shapes and designs, according to your space and sense of aesthetics. Many "kitchen gardens" are, like this one, inspired by formal gardens. You may have seen such gardens, with rounded beds around a central bed.
By the way - notice there is a small tree in the center of the circle (and another one in another bed). Could this center circle become a tree guild??
Do you have a central area that could become a circular bed, surrounded by other beds?
Source #8
Raised bed frames
As mentioned before, frames for raised beds can be created with a variety of materials. They can be fancy, plain, neat, rustic, decorative. Maybe the kids, or you, would like to paint designs on the outsides! You can buy raised bed kits, or just buy materials, or use what you have on hand, or find salvaged materials - just something that contains the bed. This illustration shows some interesting examples.
Why make contained, framed raised beds?
- They are useful for difficult spots, such as if you have poor soil and not enough time to fix it. I once visited an organic garden in Bloomington, Indiana, that was a great example. The people bought a house from someone who had used the garage and grounds as his business for fixing machines or vehicles. There was no good place for an in-ground garden, and they had a very wide gravel drive from garage to road. They gathered concrete blocks found on the property and built raised beds right on top of the gravel! Having built up rich soil within the beds, organically, they were filled with huge, healthy vegetable plants.
- Framed raised beds are easy to plant and maintain, and can look very neat.
- They are adaptable. You can even make very high ones that save a gardener's back, or that are adapted to physical limitations.
Are framed raised beds a good option for your place? What material can you use to build them?
Source #4
Framed raised beds
This place has a good number of raised beds framed with boards. Notice that they have planted them with plants of different heights, low plants in the foreground, tall in the back. These look to be primarily perennials. The gardener was considering the amount and angle of sunlight throughout the day, but maybe also just liked this look.
Source #8
Framed raised beds
We've so far seen squares, rectangles, circles, semi-circles.
Now for triangles! This shape provides a unique ability to use space economically. You can do them individually or as a row, as shown here, and maybe other configurations. They also allow for different planting arrangements within the beds, using corners.
Would triangles fit into your plans?
You could also do hexagonal beds (though they would be more work to create). Think of it - they could go together like a honeycomb! That's real economy of space, design created by the honeybee. Maybe this would work in your situation. You could even put a bee skep in the middle, with plants around it that attract honeybees.
Another raised bed design, which originate with gardeners in Lesotho (a method that conserves resources in a dry climate), is the Keyhole garden. Basically, this is a circle with an entrance to the middle and a circle in the middle. The middle can be used as a compost area, making compost easy to toss onto the garden beds. Some people plant something in the middle, like a small tree, and others simply use the middle circle as another easy access to the planted areas.
The keyhole design does need to be surrounded by something that keeps everything in, just like a framed raised bed. You can get fancy with bricks or stones, or you can get rustic with a tightly woven surround of sticks and bendable twigs.
This is also another space-saving method, very adaptable to small areas and problem spots.
You can find lots of photos, diagrams and directions on line, and in some books. Here is a link to some information and directions:
https://permaculturefoodforest.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/keyhole-gardens/
Source #4
Framed raised beds and verticals
Here are some taller framed raised beds built right over the gravel. And, there are other things going on that will be discussed soon - vertical growing (tepee trellises right inside the beds) and container gardening (the big stone containers scattered about). All three here (frames, trellises, containers) border on fancy, but can easily be done.
Use what you have to do the same thing!
If you had this arrangement, what would you envision planting here?
Source #8
Framed raised bed and vertical
Here's another arrangement of a framed raised bed with a trellis as part of it - but this time a different kind of trellis, fitting right over one end. Under the trellis you can plant more shade-tolerant crops (greens, lettuce, cabbage, etc.), extending their season as the trellis fills up. You can plant sun-loving crops in the open end.
Likewise, if you already have a place where a trellis exists or a place that can be converted to trellising, you can build a raised bed partly under it.
Source #8
Vertical
Here's an idea for using a space next to a house, garage, shed, greenhouse, or other structure to grow more crops. Your vertical growers can be sun-loving crops such as pole beans, pole lima beans, cucumber, squash, luffa, etc.. In the shade it creates between trellis and building can be shade-tolerant crops. Before the vines take off, you can plant quick-growing greens (such as lettuce, spinach, kale, Asian greens, etc.) that will be harvested soon or have their season extended a bit.
Do you have a place along a building, porch, deck, or other spot where you can make a simple leaning trellis? You can also use lattice existing on a porch or other place.
Source #2
Vertical - espalier
Here's another space-saving vertical-growing idea - espaliered fruit trees! This is a very old method of training a small fruit tree to a fence or other such support. Besides taking up less space than an open tree-in-the-round, think how easy it would be to care for an espaliered tree and harvest from it!
Do you have a fence or other place where you might be able to practice espalier? Make sure that other conditions are right for a fruit tree - sun, wind, soil, etc.
Source #4
Containers
We saw some planted containers awhile ago, placed around raised beds on a gravel surface. Here are some container plantings in a group, creating a larger garden out of smaller ones. Notice that the pots are different sizes and heights, the taller ones to the back. The same thing goes for the plantings in the pots here.
You can easily substitute vegetable and herb plants, and companion flowers, in the containers, and you can plant more than one thing in a pot if the pot is the right size and the plants are good companions. Think of how large they will be when full grown. When selecting varieties of vegetables and herbs with container gardening in mind, notice if the company mentions that a variety is especially well suited to containers. Otherwise, look for more compact plants, and smaller types. You can also add a trellis to a container for climbers.
Source #1
Containers
Containers can be any size, as long as they are suitable for the particular plants. In this case, the barrels make it possible to grow crops that have exceptionally long tap roots, and to keep those roots straight. Perhaps this gardener's regular soil is either hard (clay) or stony, which would hinder the roots or cause them to be misshapen.
Lining the barrels up along the side of this building is a good use of space. Also, the building might reflect more heat to the plants. This is a consideration for creating a micro-climate, which we'll talk about later.
Do you see the other method being used here? Yes - vertical gardening! Trellises can be incorporated into container planting, even just in pots. The building here seems to serve as extra support for these heavily-laden trellises.
Just about anything can be used for container planting (even a hollowed-out old bowling ball), as long as it doesn't have any unsafe materials, but it does have drainage holes. If it doesn't already have holes, you can create some with a drill or a hammer and large nail.
If you got one of the give-away Grow Bags and seed potatoes, you are doing another kind of container garden, and I hope it's going well! When you are done growing potatoes, you can grow other things in the Grow Bag, but don't follow the potatoes with other members of the Solanaceae family (like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, etc.). Be sure to replenish the soil with compost or other good soil.
Source #6
Containers
Look at this!
A simple net-style compost bin is being used as a container garden. You know that's rich soil in there, and really good for those potato plants! This container garden is made prettier by the ribbons woven through the netting and the pansies planted all around the bottom (where nutrient-rich stuff collects). You could also make a compost bin-cum-container garden with a circle of wire fencing, snow fencing, or chicken wire, supported by a few stakes.
Are you getting ideas?
Do you already have things around that can be used for a container garden? It's also fun to search thrift shops and other places, looking at items in a completely different way, as possible containers for gardens.
Containers give you the freedom of placement here and there, or to group them together. You can move them in and out of sun and rain, into or out of hot or cold spots, or even bring them indoors when needed, depending on the container's heaviness. But, remember that container gardens need more watering attention than in-ground or on-ground gardens. But, there are tricks for slow, extended watering that you can buy or make.
You can also think of a contained/framed raised bed as a "container garden" if you have used a barrier on the bottom so that the plant roots have no contact with the existing soil or other surface. This is useful if you have questionable soil, or if you are unsure of what's in your soil (such as heavy metals).
Source #7
Microclimates
We end with the vegetable gardens of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, in Virginia. It's quite large and elaborate! And very ambitious. Not what any of us would be doing at our places, in city or country. Today it requires a hefty staff of professionals and volunteers to maintain. In Jefferson's time, that meant slaves.
But I show it here to illustrate one other consideration - micro-climates.
When you look at a map of planting zones in the United States, you'll see that the spot where Monticello exists has the same zone number as the spot where we exist. That may seem surprising! But, micro-climates make the difference in what we do, and what Jefferson did. After all, we don't have mountains, and we are all huddled into low river valleys here.
Using the mountainside (with a "sea view" of the Piedmont), Jefferson had terraces created (like we talked about earlier, but way bigger). The first terrace is home to the extensive vegetable garden, longer at either end than we can see here. This made it possible to garden on the mountain slope, and it also created a micro-climate (south-facing) to help grow an extremely wide variety of vegetables (Jefferson had a fascination with plants and brought seeds and plants from different parts of the world to try to grow in Virginia, sometimes successfully).
The next terrace down, to the left in the photo (we can't see beyond the actual terrace in this photo) created a micro-climate that grows four varieties of fig trees (not something we can do much in our area, despite being the same zone), against that terrace. Below that are the vineyards and the South Orchard.
We can do similar things at our places to create special micro-climates, on a much smaller scale, no matter the size of our space. Look over your place and see where micro-climates may already exist - spots that are different from the general climate. This may be due to shade, trapped air (maybe creating a cold or wet spot), extra sun (maybe creating a hot, dry spot), extra moisture, or strongly flowing air.
What can you do there, differently? And, is there anywhere at your place you can create a micro-climate to grow some different things (maybe even a fig tree)?
The physical "limits" at your place are really only limits by imagination. Work with what you have, let the ideas flow!
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Go through this presentation again, think about your place, toy around with your plans.
And, please do share your plans with all of us! We all love to see your progress, and it could create discussion, advice, ideas among us all. You can share them on the Grow City Teaching Garden Facebook page, or by responding to the email through which this presentation was sent.
(Note: I did not get into some methods here, such as Hugelkulture, lasagna layering/sheet mulching, composting-in-place to create beds, etc. These are all methods that can be used in creating one of the concepts taught here, such as wide beds, raised beds, etc.)
NOW:
Before the next presentation appears, do this .... create a "wish list"!! What would you like to grow?
Next time we'll look at different planting methods, which will help you further with your plans and also help you narrow down your choices of what crop varieties to use.
But, wishes come first!
Just remember:
- Keep It Simple
- Grow what your household will use
- Start small
- Start with the easier-to-grow things.
:) As always - have fun! :)
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Source list for photos:
1. Practical Permaculture: for home landscapes, your community, and the whole earth; by Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein; Timber Press, Inc.; 2015. (available at the Knox County Public Library)
2. The Art of French Vegetable Gardening; by Louisa Jones; Artisan; 1995.
3. Kitchen Gardens of France; by Louisa Jones; Thames and Hudson; 1997.
4. Designing the New Kitchen Garden: an American potager handbook; by Jennifer R. Bartley; Timber Press, Inc.; 2006.
5. Mother Earth News Organic Gardening Collector Series; 2019.
6. Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series: Guide to Organic Gardening.
7. "A Rich Spot of Earth": Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello; by Peter J. Hatch; Yale University Press; 2012.
8. High-Yield Gardening: How to get more from your garden space and more from your gardening season; by Marjorie Hunt and Brenda Bortz; Rodale Press; 1986.
(Note on the last book: This is the book that changed the way I looked at gardening and stretched what I saw as the possibilities. I used to check it out of the public library a lot. I must have been the only one doing so, because when I went through a period of not checking it out, it was weeded from the collection. My husband searched for it on line and it was out of print, but he located used copies at such ridiculously low prices that we got our copy for less than it cost to ship it. For a large book that so packed with wonderfulness, I don't understand how any of this happened. But, I'm very glad to have my own copy, and I urge you to search for one, too.)
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Garden
Methods and Planning
Resources
in the Knox County Public Library and Web Sites
The Backyard Homestead (editor
Carleen Madigan); 2009; 641 Ba
Chapter on Home Vegetable Gardening:
raised beds, containers, vertical. Also, landscaping, herbs
Ball, Jeff; Jeff Ball's 60-Minute
Garden; 1985; 635 Ba
Raised beds, tunnels, vertical, also
has some specific plans for constructing.
Bartholomew, Mel; All-New Square
Foot Gardening; 2013; 635 Ba
Bloom, Jessi, and Dave Boehnlein;
Practical Permaculture for Home Landscapes, Your Community, the
Whole Earth; 2015; 631.58 Bl
Brenna, Georgeanne, and Mimi
Luebbermann; Little Herb Gardens; 1993; 635.7 Br
CaliKim; Organic Gardening for
Everyone; 2020; 6354 Ca
Indoor, raised beds, containers,
glossary of garden terms.
Clarke, Ethne; Herb Garden Design;
1995; 635.7 Cl
Damrosch, Barbara; The Garden
Primer; 1988; 635 Da
Plants, landscape plans shown (pp.
10-11), vegetable garden plans shown (pp. 194-195)
Damrosch, Barbara; Theme Gardens;
2001; 635.9 Da
Easton, Valerie; The New
Low-Maintenance Garden; 2009; 635 Ea
Design, style, containers
Eddison, Sydney; Gardening for a
Lifetime: How to garden wiser as you grow older; 2010; 635 Ed
Helps in rethinking spaces.
Flowerdew, Bob; No Work Garden;
2002; 635 Fl
Gardening for All Seasons (New
Alchemy Institute); 1983; 635 Ga
Indoor, solar greenhouse, raised beds
Gettle, Jere and Emilee; The
Heirloom Life Gardener; 2011; 635 Ge
Chapter 7 – City Farmer
Guerra, Michael; The Edible
Container Garden; 2000; 635 Gu
Hendy, Jenny; Kid's First Gardening;
2014; 635 He
Many ideas for any age, including –
basket of squash, grow bag garden, patio veggie garden, potato bin,
hanging basket, windowsill salad, herb pyramid, herb wheel, runner
bean wigwam, checkerboard plot, and more.
Hirvela, Stacey; Edible Spots and Pots;
2014; 635 Hi
Great for small spaces.
Jabbour, Niki; The Year-Round
Vegetable Gardener; 2011; 635 Ja
Intensive planting, cold
frames/seasonal, raised beds, tunnels/solar, site selection,
vertical, plots and design.
Lanza, Patricia; Lasagna Gardening;
1998; 635 La
Vertical, foundation plantings, other
garden methods – landscape plans shown on pp. 4-5.
Lavelle, Christine, and Michael; How
to Grow Organic; 2008; 635.048
Planning, methods. See pp. 122-155 The
Kitchen Garden.
(by same authors: The Organic
Garden; 2003; 635.048 La Tall Books)
Maguire, Kay, and Tony Woods; Big
Ideas for Small Spaces; 2017; 635 Ma
Markham, Brett L.; Mini-Farming for
Self-Sufficiency; 2006; 630 Ma
Raised beds, trees/fruits/vines,
vertical/trellising
Newcomb, Duane; The Vegetable Garden
Factory: Super Yields from Small Spaces; 1988; 635 Ne
The Organic Gardener's Complete
Guide to Vegetables and Fruits; 1982; 635 Or
Primeau, Liz; Front Yard Gardens;
2003; 635.9 Pr
Mainly featuring ornamental gardens,
but ideas are adaptable to food gardens (especially when considering
many vegetable plants as ornamentals)
Richardson, Fern; Small Space
Container Gardens; 2012; 635.986 Ri
Rodale's All New Encyclopedia of
Organic Gardening; 1997; 635.048 Ro
Smith, Edward C.; The Vegetable
Gardener's Bible; 2009; 635 Sm
Wide beds, raised beds, seed
catalogs/plants, vertical, planning.
Smith, P. Allen; Living in the
Garden Home; 2007; 635 Sm
Loads of ideas for small, beautiful
spaces, including vertical, container, etc.
Soler, Ivette; The Edible Front
Yard; 2011; 653 So
Tozer, Frank; The Organic Gardener's
Handbook; 2008; 635.048 To
Includes site selection
Trail, Gayla; You Grow Girl; 2005;
635 Tr
Great for urban situations, lots of
ideas.
Wilson, Jim; Landscaping with
Container Plants; 1990; 635.9 Wi
Also check magazines available at the
library, such as Mother Earth News and Horticulture.
Web Sites
Planting Potatoes:
thespruce.com/growing-potatoes-in-containers-848220
balconygardenweb.com/growing-potatoes-in-containers-how-to-grow-potatoes-in-pots
almanac.com/plant/potatoes
Garden Methods:
morningchores.com/gardening-methods
18 Garden Methods to Choose From to
Maximize Your Space
gardeningchannel.com/10-unusual-gardening-methods
Container Gardens:
goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20707074/container-gardening-tips
thespruce.com/container-vegetable-gardening-1403396
thespruce.com/vegetable-container-gardening-for-beginners-848161
thespruce.com/great-vegetables-to-grow-in-containers-848214
thespruce.com/lettuce-garden-in-a-bag-848241
Raised Beds:
goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/g20706096/how-to-build-a-simple-raised-bed
(using just planks and rebar)
thespruce.com/raised-bed-garden-ideas-4172154
15 Raised Bed Garden Design Ideas
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