Raised bed photos

I was just filing some pictures from the permaculture beds and I realised that the last shots you saw of the new beds at the very top of the potager was one single permaculture bed.

And since then I have made three and planted them up.

I was in such a rush to finish one of them I actually forgot to stand back and admire my work. And take a record.

So here to complete the set are the raised beds.

I have one to go in front of the kiwi fruit vine. (currently trying to climb all over the back stone wall.

Egads, is that fruit? This vine has been in this spot for almost a decade without anything more than promise. Naturally I didn’t help it by losing so many of the pollinating male shrubs. But finally things look thrilling.

The other future raised beds are along around the curve of the garden way to the right of the grape vines.

[Which I spectacularly failed to photograph as I only nipped out while the tea was brewing to get a shot and then the Creature leapt up onto the raised bed and threatened to trample the flowers. So I had to cajole her off.]

Here’s an old shot to give you an idea of what is yet to be completed.

Those ones are tricky as they are very narrow and are currently full of stones.

If I get the energy it might make a good summer project as the beds are in shade until at least 11am thanks to the extension of the house right beside on the other side of the stone steps.

I had contemplated leaving the bed Etienne made that houses the two enormous grape vines because I didn’t want to damage the roots of the vines. They are Venerable and do a great job shading the courtyard on the terrace above.

I stacked up logs and dried broom stalks there and just covered it with a tarp.

But in the end I created a bed in the middle and just stacked logs around the base of the vines so they get plant of light and air.

And made mini teensy raised beds in front. Full of millet and limonium.

Nothing like a good think mulch to hide the seams.

I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to walk down those steps (one at a time, I’m not quite there yet with walking down stairs) and look to the right and see so many new planting areas.

My Facebook memories brought up a picture of the vegetable garden from 2012 this week…

All at ground level and perfectly mulled and orderly. But not for long. These pictures are always showing the garden at its most utterly perfect and weeded, mulched and constructed. Real life just isn’t this neat.

I prefer my new raised bed life.