Late last fall we designed and installed a winter garden, Jen named the “Quilter’s Garden” due to the quilt-like pattern she created out of the 12’x12′ plot. We liked it so much we used the picture on our brochure and website. You can see the design here.
The new gardeners Lyn, Solange and their son Carter, have been tending it all winter and we stopped by for a visit this weekend. All we could say was “WOW!” It was beautiful and full of vegetables – lettuces, broccoli, Swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, sugar snap peas, carrots, cabbage, cilantro, garlic, oregano and strawberries. They have added a drip hose, a small fence to keep out rabbits and are working on an interior walkway. Carter is born gardener and he loves showing people “his” garden. And he eats everything that comes out of it!
As the lettuces and leafy greens stop producing they will be replaced by tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and green beans. Take a look at the pictures and see what three new gardeners were able to grow.
The center 4’x4′ bed with very happy lettuces, greens, cabbage and spinach.
A wider view of the quilt pattern. The empty boxes will shortly be home to spring and summer vegetables.
Carter showing James how to find the choice sugar snap peas.
James getting lessons from the local expert!
We always get asked about strawberries in Texas. Yes, they grow here but planting them in the fall gives them a great head start on the spring. This one already has berries.
As you may know, Bohemian Bounty is based in San Marcos, Texas which is just south of Austin. One of the most important things to our company is our community. San Marcos is, unfortunately, home to a significant population of impoverished people. According to the US Census, in 1999, San Martians below poverty were recorded at 28.5% – that was double the percentage recorded in Austin. Trying to make a difference with what we do has led us toward a unique goal – feeding those in need and teaching those our community who want to learn how to feed themselves. Bohemian Bounty has been working with the Hays County Area Food Bank (HCAFB) since 2008 to incorporate organic, healthy vegetables into the kitchens of people who depend on the food bank. With the donation of garden plots from the San Marcos Community Gardens, local volunteers and Bohemian Bounty have been working to plan, build and maintain several garden beds.
Bohemian Bounty has donated seeds, greenhouse space, composted horse manure (Thanks Jimmy!), starter plants, labor and organic garden care products thus far. The HCAFB garden has begun its Spring plantings with a garden bed full of potatoes donated from a generous person on Craig’s List (Thanks Freida!) We are still looking for more donations. Our wish list for the food bank garden plots includes: tools, compost, herb starter plants, organic fertilizers, organic insecticide soap, mulch, plant tags/signs, gloves, diatamaceous earth (food grade), 4 inch pots for starter seed, 1 gallon pump sprayer, stakes, twine, tomato cages, tub trugs and local volunteers.
Jennifer Preparing Potato Garden Area
Cutting a Seed Potato
Sugar Snap Peas Growing in the Food Bank Garden
A second project that Bohemian Bounty will be helping with is planning and installing a community garden at one of the San Marcos Housing Authority’s housing areas. The garden will introduce residents to organic gardening techniques, composting, the biology within a garden ecosystem, cooking from the garden, nutrition and more. Self sustaining skills like gardening, canning, and basic cooking are fading among generations but Bohemian Bounty aims to bridge the gap. Volunteers will be needed for this project so stay tuned! Take a look at our first outreach with residents and their children.
First off, we love all the gardens we design and install. Each is unique and fun and fits the client who gives it its every-day attention. Our clients have great vision that we are proud to be a part of! That being said, working with Anne is an extra special treat. We first wrote about Anne and her farmstead revival in Wimberly in January 2009. Hurricane Ike rushed her out of Houston after dropping a pine tree on her house and she’s been digging in the dirt ever since.
Bohemian Bounty has been working with Anne to plan a large, multi-plot garden on the site of an older homestead garden that was part of a former hill-county goat farm. The history of the lot goes back to the 1800’s and she even has some of the original structure on site – one being the former owner’s personal garden space. You can see the cement border (original structure) has new fencing to keep the deer out. The soil is wonderful in texture and we even found a few old hand cut limestone pieces (not so good on the tiller) that indicate where another smaller cottage was at one point. Anne’s retirement plan – or rather restoration project – will include trying to mix 18th century homestead farming techniques with modern organic gardening methods. Of course, it was all organic in the 1800s!
Today we added Anne’s summer garden which will host asparagus, tomatoes, basil, peppers, squash, potatoes, bush beans, pole beans, cucumbers and more. Since Anne loves to dig in the dirt, Bohemian Bounty plans the crops and rotations as well as preps the beds and paths while she does the planting.
As Anne’s neighbors are always stopping by and asking what she’s planting she went ahead and made the farm as official as any we’ve seen – she put up her calling card for Goat Farm Gardens. See the pictures below. We love it, Anne! Here’s to a great growing season,
James and Jen, The Bohemians.
Start of the new garden bed.
Jen measuring and Jay cleaning the bed.
Jen adding cotton seed meal. The soil is low in nitrogen and cottonseed meal is a good organic way to supplement what is available.
Eight new organic garden beds with shredded mulch pathways. Once the plants are established the beds will get a cover mulch as well.
