BEFORE AND AFTER: Portager Pathways

So our portager started off with just plain soily paths with some natural looking stepping stones. But this is rather messy and not all that nice. Portagers are somewhat more formal and hence the decision to start dollying up the paths.

We have only completed the one pathway so far. Will have to do it piece by piece as the pebbles can work out rather expensive depending on the size of the area one wants to cover.

So firstly we lifted the stones already layed down. We then layed a weed sheet down to stop weeds from growing in the pathway. We then layed down the stones again and filled it with white pebbles. I love the combination of the brown stones and the white pebbles. We also placed some solar pannel garden lanterns right at the entrance and built a focus point cirlce in the middle with spebbles and a little garden girl catching butterflies! And she helps to keep the birds away from the spinach and lettuce.

Next to the pathway in sequance we planted rosemary, mint and red basil on either side.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Veg - Granadilla

Our latest addition to the vegetable and herb portager is this beautiful granadilla plant and finally it has something to creep up against now.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Herbs - Chives

Our CHIVES have gone bushy!!!!

And they are so yum!!!! They have gone into quite a few home baked breads, stew dishes, our house warming party meals, brinjal dishes, etc. And there are still plenty left. So, I conclude, it is true - Herbs produce more and more as you use of them.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Veg - Artichoke

Before and after archichoke - they are still growing. It is the first time I am trying to grow tehse and I am not sure at which point we will see "fruit", but keeping an eye on them patiently.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Salad and Parsley

This is a beautiful before and after example of the eco-circle gardening method from start to finish. We used take away bear mugs that we found at a expo where we enjoyed our lunch. Everyone wanted to know what we were collecting them for, they were just being thrown in the trash. Everyone also loved the idea.

Here you water into the containers that have been prepared with little holes to allow the water to seap throught to the roots of the vegetables.

Below: Butterlettuce and parsley.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Vegetable Portager Garden

Here's a few photos of the progress that we have made from the time of layout and up to a week ago.

Below: Portager resting spot

GARDEN: Portager Phase 2 - Let the games begin

Phase 2 has been tiring and is not even nearly finished, but here's what we did get done in one day!

Below: Went of to the Nursery on Sunday and got some square steppings tones and plants for the portager.

Below: The plants packed out in the shade.

Below: Start of the resting area / portager patio!

Below: Just some details on the stones. 4 squares making one big square in the same patterns. Example below. Surrounded by 6 square other with various designs, not one of the 6 are the same.

Below: Deciding what goes where opened up a can of worms!!! Clearly this garden is muuuuccchhh bigger than what I thought, look, not even half the beds will be filled. From this photo you can also see the stones we started laying in the pathways leading in and down to the resting area.

Below: Revealing the secrets. We got these take away beer mugs at an expo on Saturday and we collected them. No, we did not drink that much beer!!!! They will work great in our eco-circles, which is the eco friendly garden style we decided on for this portager. More on this eco-circles to be revealed in good time.

Below: Planting decorative grass and ground coverings in between the square stones.

Below: The concept of the eco-circle is to have one large plastic plant container in the centre, planted in the circular bed. Or 2L coke bottle with the top cut off. Drill holes and plant it. I have planted 3 of the beer cups after we drilled little holes in them. Just to see as a test how this will work. I may make some of the other beds slightly different. When you water, you only fill the container(s) in the middle as appose to spraying water all over the plants.

 

Below: you can clearly see the 3 circles where I added compost to the soil. I counted about 15 circles in my garden. HEEEELLLPPPP!!!!! What was I thinking.

Below: Finally - one bed done!!! Butter lettuce and parsley mixed in my first eco-circle! And my only eco-circle for now. I think it will take a while to have the entire garden planted, but THIS is part of the journey, seeing it grow, and appreciating every step for what it is and for what it teaches us about ourselves and life in this world as we know it.



GARDEN: Portager Phase 1 - Humble Beginnings

Humble Beginnings Indeed. . .

Just a few shots to give you an idea what I mission it has been just to complete PHASE 1 - PREPARING THE SPACE.

Below: 3 photos from original state to final state of the portager before planting and layout can start.

Below: The area directly next to the portager will be converted into 2 parking spaces. So what we did here was to transplant the lavendar bushes further back behind and next to the small tree. We then transplanted some of the grass to the empty spot where the lavender bushes were before. Opening up more space for the parking area.

GARDEN: Plan, plan, plan, plan AND plan . . .

As I grow, not only in age, but also in my life experience, my marraige and in trusting in others - I realise more and more that I need to listen more and more to my husband.

He reminded me how important it is to plan a portager and to not just jump in and randomly expect to get Rome built in a day!

So I went out and got some tools that I have found very useful in my planning phase.

1. A lever arch file - This I am using to organise all the ideas I have seen in magazines and interesting articles I have found on gardening, growing veggetables, use of herbs, etc. I will share some of the content on this blog as time goes on!

2. A garden notebook - And I just fell inlove with this note book with the vintage feel, the gorgeous butterflies - DON'T DREAM YOUR LIFE, but instead LIVE YOUR DREAM! Which just reminds me that everything and anything you can imagine is possible if you just set your mind to it!!!

I will use this note book to make notes on the plants I plant, their growth progress, layout of the portager scetches, etc, etc, etc!!!!! If I am lucky and some inspiration flows through my veins, I may just write a poem or two.

GARDEN: Our portager location!!!!!!

Yeeeesssss, we selected a spot that receives the minimum hours of sunlight a day! It is close to a tap. It will not break the lovely lawn. And it will become a focal point to the main garden.

Below: The approximate layout. The red lined area "behind" the small trees will be fore shade loving veg and will not be very visable unless entered into. We may add a small arch inbetween the trees to lead to the small back strip.

Below: Just a close up of the area. Compost bags ready and waiting. White string has been strung to indicate the area! And now the hard work starts!!!!!

As you can see from the photos, the lawn and garden in general is recovering nicely from the winter! Now is the perfect time to plant a vegetable garden. If we delay any longer it will be too hot and the small plants and seelings may not make it.

Do you like the spot?

IDEAS: Veg Garden

Here are a few more portager / veg garden ideas I liked:

Below: This is an excellent idea for someone that lives in a townhouse and have only a small garden or even just a wall is really all you need. You don't even need to spend money on containers, focus on living green and re-use old coffee tins, etc. Just make sure you make little holes in the bottom!

Below: Another portager connecting onto a garden shed and planting/potting surfaces. This portager has been built up with little walls into various terraces! This is a great idea.

Below: Another portager connecting onto a wooden deck with some interesting metal art in the background. This is the type of space that will enspire an artist or work from home landscape designer!

Below: Another portager  with beds bing in-line and very square, but following through with the patterns in the beds itself!

GARDEN: What is a PORTAGER

So, the idea is to have a Portager or as we may say in SA; a veggie patch. But we will be breaking some of the rules and keeping the ones we like.

And you ask me, what is a portager?

Below: A classic traditional example! But as you can imagine a little out of my reach ;-)

Definition and discription:

The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager (in French, jardin potager) or in Scotland a kailyard, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. Most vegetable gardens are still miniature versions of old family farm plots, but the kitchen garden is different not only in its history, but also its design.

The kitchen garden may serve as the central feature of an ornamental, all-season landscape, or it may be little more than a humble vegetable plot. It is a source of herbs, vegetables, and fruits, but it is often also a structured garden space with a design based on repetitive geometric patterns.

The kitchen garden has year-round visual appeal and can incorporate permanent perennials or woody shrub plantings around (or among) the annuals.

Below: A good geometric patterned example of a portager, with a lovely entrance arch and picket fencing all around!

Below: Still very formal with paving, focal points and beautifully landscaped

Below: This portager seems less formal, but in fact, it is not at all. Here they have made due with the available space, added wooden fencing. The climate and feeding must be excellent if you look at the plants. And I just love the little garden shed with french furniture, the perfect place for an afternoon cuppa tea with some mint in!

VEGETABLE GARDEN: Think before you dig!

Vegetable and herb gardens need around 6 hours

of sunlight a day! The more the better.

So for the first couple of weeks in the new house I have been eyeing out all the spots that could possibly work for a veggie patch or a portager.  My idea is to combine the two.

It can not be close to the Kitchen, as the kitchen is on the South side of the house. I also do not want to "break" the large lush larn we inherited. Our property has a mini-forest on the one side -

no sunshine there, well not nearly enough for a veg garden. There is a + - 2 m strip of

garden on the other side of the driveway which I thought would be perfect and then I realised

the neighbours on that side also had a urban forest going with large, large, large trees - the results, too much shade there too.

So after much discussion and ummming and aahhhing we have finally earmarked a spot!!!!

Details will follow.