Small Being a Relative Matter



 

This was my vegetable patch at my old house.  It was pretty pitiful, considering the space I had.  It was too wide, up against the property line, right next to an open field.  Weeds were a nightmare!  But there was no way I would abandon it.  It had been created by a loved one as a surprise for me.  The grass and weeds had been painstakingly removed, the soil turned, and various edging materials placed.  I was happy that it ran North-South and that a pecan tree shaded it from the worst of the afternoon sun.  It was more than my husband or I had managed and it was more than enough space given my time constraints.  I had a lot of ornamental beds and an orchard to consider!  But I while I loved my little patch, I never particularly liked it.  

 

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In my new garden, I have very little room for a veggie-specific bed.   The only space that seems somewhat promising is the very narrow strip between our house and the fence.  I've been debating for quite some time as to what I might do with that area.  The windows are those of our kitchen/breakfast area and I wasn't sure if I wanted to look out and see flowers and more flowers or a raised vegetable bed.







 





 





Another issue is privacy.  At first I thought that I just had to have tall ornamentals to at least conceal a part of our backyard from passersby.  But I think a nice, fairly tall cedar box and, hopefully, some healthy vegetables will suffice.  

I 'm looking forward to my new little vegetable patch!  I've always wanted a raised vegetable bed filled with rich, wonderful soil.  The configuration will again be north-south and now the plants will be protected from the elements.  It should be eighteen feet long and two feet wide, which I think will be enough for a nice, cool season salad crop.  I was reading about raised beds and one writer referred to a "small, raised garden of 250 square feet".  I started laughing.  Clearly, "small" is in the eyes of the beholder.  What would that writer call my thirty-six square feet?

If you're wondering if I mind, considering the space I used to have, I don't blame you.  As for my future vegetable patch, I can honestly say that I'm feeling very optimistic.  I will be able to gaze outside my kitchen window and watch my edible garden grow, which I've never been able to do in any house we've lived in.   I'm happy that it's going to be a raised bed in a protected area.  Since I'm not very experienced at growing a food crop and life has gotten rather busy, I have hopes that my little vegetable garden will be just right for me!