It's Showtime. In the Garden

For some  the expression ‘living in a fish bowl’ doesn’t seem strong enough. For some, a family dinner on the back patio might feel more like performing live at Madison Square Garden. On New Years Eve. Even attempting to count all the windows in the surrounding homes that have a view of their patio would weary the wings of Time itself. 

Fortunately, Dan Banker and his wife don’t have such a large audience viewing their backyard. Nothing close to a ‘fishbowl’, yet the layout was in clear view of a handful of nearby homes.  More like playing a song or two on the guitar at a local open mike night. And, their brand new, covered deck provided a little more privacy. 

Already a seasoned organic gardener, Dan had enjoyed several successful harvests in the raised beds that he had built and installed himself - in the backyard, right behind the deck.

This well-chosen organic garden site is south-facing, which means the garden has more than enough sunlight to grow any edible variety. And, Dan’s three 4’x8’ raised beds were also easy to reach with the garden hose AND close to the kitchen ;  these are the three most important factors we look for when evaluating an organic garden site.

Nice work, Dan.

So why did Dan call us? 

Well...the raised beds did look a little tired after a few seasons. And they weren’t exactly level, which is common with DIY projects. The three 4’x8’ raised beds looked a little like three snow sleds at the top of the slope, poised for another fun ride down.

Pro Tip - taking the time to level any outdoor project, like raised beds, greenhouses, chicken coops, compost bins, garden sheds, etc. makes it look better. WAY better. Much more beautiful and professional looking. The big exception to this would be a patio, driveway, walkway, slab, etc that should be made with a gentle slope so that water runs off in the right direction.

Yet, if not perfectly level, Dan’s three raised beds were still in the perfect site for an organic garden. And his harvests were consistent and abundant. But after a few seasons of sore joints and an achy lower back, he mused that perhaps his garden beds might be a little too low to the ground.

So Dan’s new raised beds needed to taller, level, and look more polished. 

No problem, that’s what we do.

“Also” Dan continued. “We have had some issues with rabbits nibbling some of the produce. We’ve tried everything, with no luck.”

“Could we build a 3’-tall fence around the garden to protect it from rabbits?”, he asked.

Of course we can. And, in fact, we have an excellent rabbit barrier design that’s just over 3’ tall, and sits right on the ground. it requires no digging, no setting posts, no concrete, etc. 

Our rabbit barrier design is framed with rough sawn red cedar 2”x2”,  and clad with 1/2” galvanized hardware cloth ; a rugged steel mesh that can’t be chewed through by rabbits, and lasts for many years outdoors.

But here, the plot thickens somewhat. The stakes get a little higher. The pressure to deliver ratchets up. Next, Dan proposed a new twist in his organic garden design that would make things more interesting. And put Team Microfarm to the test.

“Could we build A 20’-wide by 6’-tall trellis made with red cedar, and mount it on the back side of the three cedar raised beds.” Dan ventured. 

 

It was a pretty good idea, actually, and this large cedar trellis would serve as the back side of the rabbit barrier, give climbing garden plants plenty of room to ramble, AND add more privacy to the deck. 

But could we really deliver such a large cedar trellis, installing it perfectly level, plumb, and square? Right there ‘on stage’, between Dan and his small neighborhood audience?

“Of course we can.”, we said, summoning the needed confidence that the moment required. After all, everything we make is plumb level and square. That’s our goal, anyway.

But, Dan earns his living as an engineer. He’s paid to closely scrutinize measurements and small details.

And with such prominence in his backyard, the trellis, garden, and rabbit barrier all had to be virtually perfect. Any mistakes, miscalculations - however subtle and small - would be right there on display. Impossible to miss, like the Goodyear Blimp. 

So with a plan in place, and a little extra time and attention, we set about crafting the elements in Dan’s new garden design. And on the appointed day - our meeting with destiny - we carefully installed and filled the three 4’x8’ cedar garden beds, installed the 6’tall by 20’ long cedar trellis, and the 3’-tall rabbit barrier with hinged gate.

Now, to come all this way,  and skip the decorative pebble and flagstone pathways seemed silly. Unsound, even. So, next, we carefully placed commercial landscape fabric around the raised beds, and covered the fabric with the decorative pebble and flagstone varieties that Dan had selected.

With the project finally completed, we quietly held our breath and presented our best effort to the Engineer for approval. And Dan didn’t go easy on us either. With a thoughtfully serious countenance, he walked around all sides of the trellis, inspecting it closely - more than a few times. He tested the action of the rabbit barrier’s gate for the required smoothness of operation. He austerely scrutinized the entire project - from a myriad of angles - before he finally flashed smile and nodded his approval...perhaps the way a mathematics professor might smile when a student solved a famously-difficult calculus problem.