Hi Everyone!
It’s been a little while since my last garden update and its time for a check in. We’ve experienced the wettest rainy season in decades here in Northern California so I got a later start to building the garden than I’d hoped. In fact as I type this it’s raining yet again! We never really get rain after March/April here so its very unseasonable and unusual to be more than halfway into May and having thunder and rainstorms. It’s put yet another hold on garden building progress. We did have a bit of a break in the weather last month so I was able to get started putting plan into action…starting with getting the focal point in place and laying down the weed barrier.
One one of my favorite elements about a potager garden is how much thought an intention is placed on the visual aspect of them. They are genuinely so beautiful and really are like works of art in their own right. A recurring theme in most potagers is the presence of a focal point element centered in the garden. This is most often a tree, water fountain or other water feature, seating area, obelisk or other garden structure.
When I first conceptualized the space I pictured using a stone water fountain repurposed into a planter for herbs and succulents, but I decided to plant a fruiting tree instead. I’ve been wanting a Eureka lemon tree for a long time and since citrus trees thrive in our area I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get one AND also use some of what we already owned. I have 3 of these very large indigo ceramic pots I’ve been waiting to use and I think the yellow lemons paired with the blue pot will be so gorgeous and wonderful to see as soon as you walk in the garden.
I headed to my favorite local nursery, Green Acres Nursery & Supply, to hunt for a Eureka. I wanted to make sure this variety was one that could grow well in a container. Growing citrus in containers is actually really quite normal but its much more common to see dwarf meyer lemons planted in containers here so I just wanted to make sure this set up would work. The staff ensured me that it definitely can…especially if the container is on the larger side since it is a semi-dwarf variety. Sold.
I picked up the lemon along with some potting soil, compost, and strawberry plants
This EB Stone potting soil is my favorite soil to use for all my potted plants. Actually EB Stone is my favorite brand for soil and garden amendments period. I’ve been using them for a long time now. They offer amazing organic products and are based in San Jose which is local(ish) to Sacramento. Their Potting soils, Sure Start, Citrus Food, and Soil Conditioner are ones I keep in constant stock. I also recently picked up their Earthworm Castings and I’m eager to see how those work too.
I’ve also been incorporating this Bu’s Blend biodynamic compost into my perennial beds this spring and both me and the plants love it so I added some to the potting as well. I also decided to plant some strawberry plants at the base of the tree. I’m hoping these will grow in and hang over the pot by next year.
Both lemons and strawberries have very similar growing requirements so fingers crossed this is a good companion pairing.
After getting the lemon tree planted up I laid out the weed barrier. I was expecting this process to take MUCH longer than it actually did. It was really really easy and once I got a groove going it went fast, which was a good thing because more rain was on its way that night. All the previous rain helped soften the soil so the staples went in with no resistance.
I did a TON of research before selecting a barrier material and ended up purchasing this particular one on Amazon because it had lots of reviews about how it performs to suppress weeds.
I knew going in that I don’t want grass pathways in the garden and that I’ll be building raised beds in the space so providing a good barrier base is really important up front to cut down on as much weed maintenance as possible in the long term. This is a really thick poly type material used in greenhouses and by commercial landscape designers so I’m hoping it does the trick.
I went back and forth about whether I needed to remove the grass first and then layout the barrier, but I asked a landscaper who told me just mowing down the grass first would be fine. The barrier is going to kill the grass beneath eventually anyway. Also by time I lay down whatever pathway material I decide on it will be flat too. I’m still deciding what I want to do for that, but I’m thinking either playground fiber wood chips or walk on bark.
This one 300 ft roll covered the entire area I needed except for a small patch along the fence and a small area next to the potted lemon tree. Once I shave off the extra bits along the fence I’ll have plenty enough to go in and back fill those areas. The back of the garden is dedicated to the chickens so I stopped the fabric where that portion will be sectioned off. Also I got several questions on IG about whether this material is water permeable. The answer is a resounding YES! The day after I installed it it rained buckets for 3 days straight and absolutely no water sat standing.
Up next is constructing the raised beds. I’ve edited the original garden layout I shared just a bit so ill be sharing that along with the raised bed post. We are expecting nice sunny weather coming up so my goal is to get the beds built and in place within the next couple of weeks.
Oh and also I’ve created an IG page for #thecottagebungalowpotager so you can follow along on IG for daily updates, IGTV videos, and in progress updates on the garden build.
Phew! Ok this was a lengthy one. Until next time friends….
*Green Acres Nursery & Supply has graciously partnered with me on #thecottagebungalowpotager garden build project. I’m so excited to be working with a local company I love and have patronized for years. This is not a sponsored post, but they have generously provided the lemon tree, potting soil, and amendments for this portion of the project. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own.
milo says
I love the blue pot! Yay for progress!
Ironmongery Experts says
Looking forward to seeing how the end result will turn out. I’m sure it will be great! Well done so far! All the best, Carolina at Ironmongery Experts.