Finally My Walled Garden Takes Shape

After nearly two years I am finally getting my vege garden fenced, 50 metres of fencing. The builders have a few days to fill in and Dave is too busy so we decided to take the bull by the horns and pay for the fence to be erected. Well to qualify that, I decided to get the post and rails put up and Dave and I will nail the board and battens to the frames and paint them to match the black of the house. We returned from a visit to the kids in Auckland to find the builders measuring up. It took all Friday to dig the holes, measure the spacings and put up one row of posts. A much bigger job than you anticipate.

A post hole borer is a blessing and a time saver. A real muddy patch as you can see.

Dave starting to move the enormous pile of topsoil that we had piled up to use as a base for our raised beds. Sadly, it is not friable and I am not young enough to spend years adding compost to improve it. So the pile is getting barrowed to the bank where it can cover the bare clay. 
Garden soil from the transfer station is an excellent mix full of sheep manure, soil, compost, blood and bone, all ready to go.

 

Matt and Mark, our builders.

The fence going up prompted us to get the weedmatting and the pebbles to put around our raised beds. Took a few hours but what a difference. Now I can weed in the dry and walk out to the beds in my slippers to harvest vege for dinners. 

The globe artichoke I planted in autumn has already provided us with 3 artichokes. First one I harvested I left in fridge as we were going away and it was only fit for compost on my return, I will steam this one and dip in aoili.

The first of our fruit blossom, means spring is on the way, apricot blossom. Won't it be amazing if we actually get fruit in year two.

My Red Rosa potatoes, harvested at least 50 kilos of the most perfumed potato, long keeper that we just left in the ground and dug up 3 plants each weekend for the following week or as needed. Highly recommend this variety.

Dave has finished the second light fitting he made and hung in mid June for our mid winter xmas. Bespoke as the tv programmes would say.

It was Sunday night and I was lying on the library couch watching Eat, Love, Pray with Julia Roberts when I looked up and thought this really is a very nice corner. This small fire also heats our water which has turned out to be very efficient and cost effective.