Our herb garden project
Are you eager to se
e our plans for the new herb garden expansion at the Community Garden?
Here is our “before” picture. The space has been lawn for as long as anyone can remember, so that means more than 2 decades. There is a very large juniper tree against the building (to right, out of photo) which we will preserve since it is one of the few trees that neighborhood kids are permitted to climb.
We removed the grass during the Feb 28 workday, and on Mar 7 worked at removing considerable roots, likely from the neighbor’s magnolia tree (visible in background of photo).
Here is our vision for the future garden. It’s a photo of Rosemary Gladstar’s garden, out of a WONDERFUL book called The Herbalist’s Garden by Shatoiya de la Tour. Yes, we’ll be replicating that delightful little path, and we already have the stones donated.
In our version, there won’t be trees in the background, rather the brick Community Hall building. Our version will have a pineapple guava tree (feijoa) to one side and a dwarf ‘Eversweet’ pomegranate tree (arching 8-10H’) on the other, with low and medium-height herbs beneath, just like the picture.
Our plant list includes medicinal and culinary plants, and of course more vegetables:
aloe, arnica, artichokes, calendula, cotton, echinacea, English daisy, feverfew, garlic, horehound, lemon balm, pennyroyal, plantain, self-heal, thyme, white sage, and beneficial insect attractant plants (Bountiful Gardens mix).
Annual veggies for summer 09 include carrots, chard, fennel, tomatillos, chili peppers, and zucchini.
Here is an early versionof our plot plan.
Herbs that are located elsewhere on HN property:
- basil (main veg area in summer)
- lavender (main veg area, bed “F”)
- oregano (main veg area, bed “F”)
- rosemary (container)
- tarragon (main veg area, bed “F”)
- thyme (main veg area, bed “F”)
- yarrow (rainwater harvesting area)
We’ll be grading the area on March 21 and planting on April 4. Come join the fun!