I have been thinking this week about how to really give my potager that finishing touch that will make it look less like a construction zone and more of an asset in the yard. here is what i have been coming up with for the past few days and thought that i would share it with you.

My garden is technically in its third year, but wasn't planted last year and i
have been struggling to finish it for the past two years, but time and money are in short supply so i have been making due, but now we are finally nearing the last stages of construction!!!

The diagram is an idealistic view of what is actually out there right at the moment. the gravel paths, arbor, and staining on the fence still need to be done, along with the other raised bed in the middle. which will be finish shortly. any thoughts or ideas about the extension part of the garden with the blackberries? Right now nothing is there, but the blackberries and i need to set raised beds out somewhere for strawberries. i think a couple of blueberries would be fun too. and i need some space to plant some gourds. this is what i came up with. any ideas for water?? currently i have a drip system that has proved insufficient so i have also turned the sprinkler to hit it as well which has helped immensely. any input is much appreciated.
photos to come!! (despite it being unfinished.) btw sorry for the upside down pic. the best i could do for now.

That being said, I really like my overall plan. The fruits and herbs, along with some vegetables and flowers will go in the main garden. But, it's too windy and cold for the warmer veggies, such as tomatoes and squash. Those will go in a new bed, by the lilac bushes. I'd like to at least get that garden planned and dug out this year, but it just depends on how much help I have this summer. I'd love to finally get some ripe tomatoes this year! :)

Your garden will be gorgeous. Did you get started yet?

The deer tend to show up by summer, so the fence is 6 ft. high (our NE deer aren't really 8 ft. jumpers like the western ones). I'll be putting chicken wire along the bottom 2 ft. to keep out the small rabbits. And a large pile of manure, and one of mulch, are waiting for my shovel.

So, if I survive this effort until then, this summer should be good!

Carol

i just finished putting the gravel paths in the upper garden this afternoon and was so pleased to see it coming together i had to dig out my camera and share. It's still not 'done' but it is getting VERY close! here's a view from the entryway. the arbor (pic taken under it) still needs finishing, and i need to get out and weld a couple more tomato cages together and two 'obelisk' type structures to go on either corner of the center beds. i haven't had time to really get down to planting very much yet, as far as spring crops go, but will be just on time for the rest.

this is a better view of the entryway arbor(taken from the NE corner). i have honeysuckle planted at the base of it already.

this is the back portion of the garden. I ended up not doing two center beds because it would have caused too much congestion in the walkways. the two half wine barrels have my blueberries(dwarf top hat) and the middle raised bed has my strawberries. i plan to have tomatillos and peanuts in the two side beds!! i've never tried either of them so it should be interesting. and this is my... well, i wont say help, but she is my company while i work. penny the bull mastiff pup.

My only concern is for your blueberries, did anyone tell you that you need at least two different cultivars for proper pollination? Ideally you should have three, I like to go with an early, mid, and late season ripener to extend the berry harvest. Have you heard of the heirloom blueberry named Rubel? I think everyone growing blueberries should have one, it has small tart berries that are ideal for baking or freezing. The best thing about them is that even though they are half the size of a normal blueberry they have twice the antioxidants, so 1 cup of Rubel blueberries will have 4x the antioxidants of other cultivated blueberries. They also have the longest fruiting season, they start early and go through to the late season so they make a great pollinator for other cultivars.

I'll get off my soapbox now *sheepish grin*

Anyways, I can't wait to see pictures when all those beautiful beds are overflowing with plants.

Can you please take a photo of the sprinkler you have hooked up? I'm curious what you used.

I hope you post photos of your garden as it grows. I would love to see what people are growing locally and how their crops grow...

the front perennial flower/herb bed. I have, oregano, tarragon, a couple types of thyme, parsley, sage out there. The wire fence around it is temperarily in place to keep out a well meaning, but destructive, mastiff puppy. and yes you can see that the front arbor is not yet finished. that is no. 1 on the to do list when i get a chance.

this is a view of the south side of the fence. I have forsythia, butterfly bush, heritage red raspberries, and black currants. all planted this spring.

Lolauren- hope you didn't melt on mother's day weekend! i was down in tri cities and the temp in the car read 96*!!! you had asked about my sprinkler system. I really like it except for how touchy the sprinkler heads are. they plug/ stop spinning for no apparent reason. The coverage they offer though out weighs the periodic checking of every nozzle. In fact it may cover too well! (see the soaked soil) in the desert summer that definitely wont be too much though!

I had to share a close up of my favorite pot I did this year. I've never done a succulent pot arrangement before, but I'm excited to see how it grows. the pot i found was a steal in my opinion. solid stained concrete for $120! I couldn't pass it up.

as far as the blueberries go, every source i've looked up said that they will do ok without another variety. live and learn I guess. we'll see what they do for a few years before i pass judgment.

anyone else have any pictures of their "finished" product?? or any picture of your progress?

Hate to be a downer, but you should transplant those raspberries right away. They will send out runners that take over not only your nice flower/herb bed, they will ruin your gravel pathways and fill up your veggy beds if allowed. Bramble fruits are aggressively invasive and will take over, you should check out some of the other posts about raspberries. They don't grow as a bush, they are a bramble and want to create a briar patch.

Instead of waiting to see if you will have proper pollination you might want to head over to the Fruit forum and ask, there are some real pros over there. If you have neighbors with blueberries they might be close enough to pollinate yours.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but fruit is my #1 garden passion so I always like to share what I know when I see things that may turn out to be problematic in the future. If I were you I would move the raspberries to a distant corner and replace them with a couple of different blueberries.

What wood did you use? Is it oiled? It looks fantastic.

It was 96f for several days running! Very strange and confusing to my garden plants. :)

Thanks for the pic of the little sprinkler. I've tried various ones with similar problems. Our hard water is also a little sandy.. sigh.

I agree on the raspberry comment. The linked thread has a photo of my raspberry bed after one year. They spread and they spread aggressively. To our benefit, it is so dry in the summer here that they will likely just grow in directions of consistent moisture... Unfortunately, that looks like it will be your nicely manicured raised beds and gravel nearby.