Family Worm Bin

We used the plans for a worm bin here:
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm

This video was very inspiring as I was planning our worm bin:
http://youtu.be/2SuBT7SukdI

If you don't know anything about vermicomposting, you might be surprised to know that worms will eat your kitchen scraps and turn them into beautiful fertile soil and liquid fertilizer! It doesn't make sense to have a garden but no worm bin...the worms absolutely provide a wonderful benefit...you toss your kitchen scraps into the bin and get out compost tea and compost! For under $45, we got one pound of worms and a couple Rubbermaid bins for the project.

New Garden Layout

Upon entering the gate, there's about a 30'x30' square which can hold up to 18 3'x8' raised beds. I'm going to start with TWO. Then the area slopes down and I staked out a path between two triangular beds with path around the entire perimeter inside the fence. I moved the bench and potting table, I'm liking this a lot! It really helps me plan to have the stakes and string so I can visualize the space better.

When outside the garden standing at the gate, to the right is the corner, I want to plant a Lavatera 'Barnsley' there and put a cherry timber to define the bed area. And I want to plant Sedum 'Autumn Joy' on either side of the potting table.

Looking at how to plant raspberry and how to support the canes for easy picking!

Things I'm working on:
-raspberry support
-which lavenders to plant on the slope
-which blueberries to plant
-considering russian sage and crocosmia 'lucifer' together, love the purple and red!

Staking Raised Beds

I like this! A little string and a few stakes and I feel like I can SEE it! I like the idea of sitting on the bench and watching my garden grow, so I put the bench near the raised beds. I like the 3'x8' size and the ends will face north/south.

Past the bench is "the bump" which is the high ground and contains a couple stumps. Then the right slopes down (good drainage).

My Shy Acre

We've been here about a week and I can hardly wait to get unpacked so I can start gardening! Well, that's not entirely true, I need to finish a handful of projects before I can start gardening, but I am beginning the garden planning stage.

The area behind the gate will be my garden (closest to the back door and just up and west from the well). In this picture, you are looking to the east where the morning sun peeks up over the Cascades in the distance. FULL sun exposure!

The initial plan is to make a pattern of raised beds for veggies and flowers with a lavender patch planted east of the main garden on top of "the bump". I would post a photo of "the bump" except I can't find my camera battery charger and my camera battery is nearly dead.

This morning I took Sweet Boy out to help me measure the garden patch. The pasture is about 61' x 83' with a bump at the lower part and three gates. Fully fenced. The section for the future raised beds is 35' x 30', but I could easily do 30' x 30' making it a square. Why only 30'? The approximate 30'x30' is actually level.

The lavender patch can also be 30'x30' and if I plant 5' on center, that's 7 rows of lavender 30' long over "the bump"! Whoohooo! I've grown lavender in the past, but I'd like to do some research on growing rows of lavender. I do know this:
-likes poor soil once established
-needs well drained soil
-requires full sun
-my favorite is 'Provence'
The fun part will be to decide what to plant and where to put them!