Garden Layout

 Eastern area of garden

My vegetable garden is made up of raised beds 3’ wide by 35’ long.  Between the beds there are 3’ wide pathways.  3' wide beds because I can easily reach half way across.  35' long because when I have to do a task (seeding, weeding, harvesting, or whatever) 35' looks like a doable distance to me.  3' wide pathways because that gives me enough room to squat, kneel or maneuver around without feeling cramped.  

I have made the beds in groups.  Across the bottom of the picture above you can see 7  beds.  5 of spinach and 2 on the far right of onions.  I consider that one group.  The picture looks south.  South past this first group is a mulched pathway that runs east and west and then another group of 7 rows, these of peppers; and then a grass driveway and another group of peppers; and then a mulched pathway and a group of 7 rows of cabbage.  And then further on south are two more groups of cabbages.  6 groups of 7 beds in this area.  Other groups not pictured are made up of different numbers of rows.

 From where I am standing when I took the picture there are 22 more beds to the right of me that can't be seen in this picture and 39 beds behind me. And then a bunch more beds where the two high tunnels are.  3 inside each tunnels as seen in this next picture and more beds around and to the south of the two tunnels.    

Cartwell Too

(that's what i call this high tunnel)

118 beds total this year to play in. Add to that a large blackberry patch, a couple of small patches of raspberries and a few fruit trees.   How lucky can a person get!

My garden is in a creek bottom with rich deep topsoil, excellent tilth and is high in organic matter.    Plus I am blessed to live on top of an underground river that allows me to pump 20 gallons a minute from my well all day long, day after day if I need to. (such as during the hot drought ridden last three summers)   This gives me the opportunity to care for a nice variety of plants in sufficient quantities to help me make a living.  Pretty good gig.

  

My job description:   I help life forms grow that feed on sunlight in order to process water and minerals from the soil into colorful, tasty, nutritious containers that I will call artisanal fruits and vegetables when I harvest and sell them to people.  People who get sustenance and great pleasure from the consumption of said tasty morsels produced by those marvelous living sunshine powered factories we call plants. 

 I’d call that lucky.