Objectives: To use 181 square feet of rented backyard as a means to stay out of Whole Foods all summer; make back my cash investment by the end of September '09 through savings on groceries and sale of surplus produce; leave the soil in better condition than I found it; and have a good time doing it.
The Space: A roughly 18x18 foot square behind your average Somerville duplex previously occupied by weeds and an extensive colony of ants. Last summer I put in a 10x13 foot patio in the center and divided the remainder of the space into 6 beds plus a strip of weeds left in place on which to place the hammock and to remind me of how far Small Holdings Farm has come. This year I may be forced to plant the squashes under the hammock and displace the weeds.
The above picture is the view from right outside my back door. That brown patch on the right is 8 feet x 2 feet and was occupied by wildflowers last year. The hay-covered strip to the left of the brick path is 16 inches x 17 feet and is occupied by strawberries and rhubarb, both of which are perennial. That black blob at the end of the hay strip is the composter, a vital part of the Dos Manos team. The path was a lucky break; I found the brick buried in the yard so I dug it up, washed it off and moved it to where you see it now.
Please excuse the over-exposed look while I'm figuring out how to use this newfangled digital camera.
Along the back fence to the right of the composter is a 6 x 10 foot bed that held tomatoes, zucchinis, bell peppers and some cantaloupes that never made it past tennis ball size, though they were very sweet. All of the crops that grew here last year will have to be planted elsewhere this year to protect against soil-borne disease. Powdery mildew killed most of the Cucurbits (squashes, melons and cukes) last year so I'll have to be vigilant.
Along the back of the house are two beds. Between the patio and the stones is 23 inches and from the stones to the house is 31 inches. Both are 12.5 feet long. The row of stone is a mini terrace separating the two different grades so the patio doesn't wash out and mud doesn't collect up against the house in heavy rain. This area gets bright morning sun and indirect afternoon light, making it perfect for things that tend to wilt in hot weather like lettuces, peas and cilantro. I put some dwarf Alberta spruces in the herb bed so it wouldn't look so lonely in the early spring and late fall but they only succeed in highlighting the barrenness of the rest of the yard; Like a big metal American flag on the surface of the moon.
Along the picket fence is a 9.5 foot by nearly 3 foot strip. Last year I put in lemongrass, which may or may not come back, a gorgeous pink day lily, morning glories, winter squashes and a couple of cubanelle plants. The winter squashes were the wrong choice for that space because they sprawled. They climbed the picket fence, which would have been alright except that they were just using it as a ramp to get up the much taller chain link fence and into the neighbor's yard while I was on vacation and they promptly died of powdery mildew as soon as I got home.
The lesson: butternut squash is a real bummer when you've only got 181 square feet.
The Plants:
Brassicacae:
Early Scarlet Globe Radish
Romanesco Broccoli
Apollo Arugula
Chenopodiaceae:
Chioggia/ Candy Strip Beet
Golden Beet
Five Color Silverbeet/ Swiss Chard
Cucurbitaceae:
Sakata's Sweet Melon
Eden's Gem Melon
Double Yield Pickling Cucumber
Yardlong Armenian Cucumber
Buttercup Squash
Golden Zucchini
Graminae:
Golden Bantam Sweet Corn
Leguminosae:
Amish Snap Pea
Dwarf Gray Sugar Pea
Solanaceae:
Juane Flamme, Martino's Roma, Green Sausage, Hillbilly Potato Leaf, Gold Rush Currant, and Sara's Galapagos Tomatoes.
Orange Bell Pepper
Santa Fe Grande Pepper
Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry/ Husk Cherry
Umbelliferae:
Scarlet Nantes Carrot
Florence Fennel
Grandma Einck's Dill
Giant Italian Parsley
Various Herbs:
Wormwood
Cilantro
Oregano
Sweet Basil
Plus and experimental patch of All Blue Potatoes and anything else I come across in seed form between now and that much awaited last frost!
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