Hello everyone, if you have followed the evolution of our “mini work farm”, as we call it, since we moved to the autumn of 2021, then you may have noticed that some time has passed since we published an update on it.
Don’t worry, we have (well, mostly my parents) at work to build the garden, embellish the stream and plant many tasty vegetables and herbs with which to create recipes!
They happened so much since we moved for the first time. Let’s give a quick tour and a little fun/after the photos!
The area downstream
There is a pond on the property, with a stream feeding the pond from the upper area of property and a waterfall that flows out of the pond in what we now call the “downstream” area.
When we moved for the first time, this was an invaded, superficial and rocky area that sometimes overflowed with water after heavy rains. While resembling a stream, he was hidden by long grass, weeds and other brushes.
Since then, my father has scrupulously raised stones from all the ownership of the area and creates a clearer channel for the flow of water.
Our concern was to keep the area more ordained while it also seemed naturalistic. After a lot of moving rock (a lot of heavy rocks in motion), it created a staircase to the area, a lower pond, a couple of natural bridges and a little terrace that seems intentional while it also merges into the landscape.
The garden for the kitchen
The bike garden has crossed some iterations. It was a bit of a chair disaster when we moved, but we cleaned it up and there were quite nice raised beds in there. However, the wood started to fall apart after a few years, so we removed them and we made longer beds with stone edges (again, with rocks coming around the property. As you will see in this post, we have no shortage of rocks.)
We use this space for more delicate green leafy vegetables that love to be eaten by snails and other parasites. We have less parasites problems in this garden than in our “large garden”, which is located next to the barn.
The large garden/potger
I am really trying to make the term “potger” one thing, because it evokes images of idyllic French gardens, but we all call it only “the large garden”.
The large garden is located in a very sunny position above the pond and probably experienced the most dramatic transformation of all areas of the property.
When we moved for the first time, it was basically a stain of dense weeds held together by a decomposition fence, surrounded by multiple weeds.
It was canceled and the routes were put down for the garden beds. This layout worked for a couple of years, but the fence was marching and it was difficult to enter and leave the doors of the garden, while the wood was falling apart.
In the third year of the garden, we built a new fence around it! Once again, we used rocks around the property to build a low stone wall for the base of the fence.
We enlarged the garden, throwing the beds slightly differently and we also put a canopy, a greenhouse and a large bow for climbing plants. The roof windows were all recovered from the barn, when we increased the windows. Below you can see before and after:
The garden is coming now, but it is exciting to have everything taking place for this growth season!
The weeding here is real, but in recent years we have significantly reduced the number of perennial weeds by keeping it over them starting at the beginning of the season and preventing them from going to sow.
The shed and the greenhouse do not have much ongoing at the moment, but this will change!
Chickens and ducks
The hens and ducks are still in their beautiful area, but rather than in the temporary fence that was around their race (which we should have trampled on, which was a great danger of stumbling. Bad news when there is chicken poop and duck on the ground), we finally decided to put something more permanent.
I think we are all enjoying the fact that we must not make light gymnastics just to enter to change water and feed.
The mound
The “Tumulo” is an euphemistic term that we have for what is actually a large septic mound that the previous owners (two or three owners ago) have decided to embellish with a low stone wall. He created this type of strange structure in the field of grassy tennis on the side of the property that always has people who scratch their heads. (“What is it?”)
We discovered from the architect who worked on the original renewal that the former owners had planned to put a flower garden on the mound with a greenhouse next to it, a plan that was demolished when they realized that they could not put a structure so close to the septic field (I am sorry that you continue to say septic).
We transformed it into a sort of experimental cut garden, with annual and perennial plants of shallow roots (shallow roots, therefore they do not go too deep or disturb the septic things ah).
It is a bit of a mixture and not the most beautiful area, but it has provided us enough material to create many beautiful home decks during the growth season!
The barn
So we shared some external renewal here, but finally we are working more inside! More to get to a future post!
I hope you liked this quick update and tour!
