Beautiful Montana Fall

Our beautiful fall continues here in south central Montana. Perhaps I shouldn’t, but I am taking it as a personal gift to me. It’s the universe saying to me that it’s sorry; sorry for the snap jump into winter last year, snow by mid October; sorry for the complete winter by November 11^th’ the second snow dump, which covered us for the rest of the winter. It’s saying it’s sorry for my torn discs last May, which cost me a whole season of gardening, the FIRST season in our new home. Sure, others may disagree, but I KNOW, and I say I forgive you! Now, let’s talk about this menopause….

New Garden Plans

I've been spending my free time working on the layout of my new vegetable garden. It’s such a luxury, isn’t it, being able to plan a garden from scratch? I'm somewhat constrained by the existing fencing, but my husband, nice guy that he is, is willing to move a fence if I need it.

 

 The space is 33 feet wide by 89 feet long which is too large for our present needs, as well as the time I have to devote to it. I’ll cut it almost in half by extending the yard fence across the corral, making the space 45’ x 33’, much more manageable. This space will be divided from east to west by a five foot walkway, with gates at each end allowing me to pull though with the lawn tractor and wagon.

 

The existing gate on the east end is too large, in the wrong spot and frankly, too ugly. Garden aesthetics matter. Truth be known, I’m not fond of the fence either, but this same fence completely lines the driveway and surrounds the house and back yard. Seems a little too spendy to consider changing it, but the gate has got to go. The west gate will open to the other half of the corral, which borders the driveway.

 

I’ll leave the north side of the walk for open beds that can be divided into a series of beds for a five year rotation, 4 cropped, one fallowed or planted to green manure. I’m not sure five years are needed here, but corn smut absolutely required this in

Washington State. If a three or 4 year rotation is all that is necessary then leaving the bed undefined will allow me to change.

The south side will be divided into two rows of raised beds running east to west. Each row has five, 7’x3’ raised beds, separated by 30” walk way. I plan to build these with hoop supports to create mini hooped cold frames.

October 4, 2010

We have been having a beautiful fall here in Montana. Could be compensation for last fall’s early snows, could just be a cruel hoax and we will be under a foot of snow next week. Whichever it is, I’m fascinated by it. The weather in central Washington, eastern Oregon and coastal Oregon, all places I’ve lived, was so bland, so normal and predictable. I had grown complacent in my 180 day growing seasons, quick spring warm-ups, long, warm falls. Sure I grew beautiful, bountiful gardens. I loved it. It was in my blood. I remember my dad, who had been raised on a small family farm outside Birmingham, Alabama, lamenting the difficultly of raising a decent pepper, tomato and corn crop five miles inland of the Oregon Coast. He had no idea. Or maybe he did. I’ve never gardened in the south but have enjoyed Phillip Oliver’s southern gardening blog ‘Dirt Therapy’  It looks so beautifully warm, and absolutely lush.  Perhaps moving from a humid, subtropical climate to a cooler, marine climate is as disarming as moving from a semi-arid (with excellent irrigation systems) to an alpine climate. Could be. I am certainly out of my gardening comfort zone.  I’ve bought books, a few I’ve listed on this page as my favorites. Eliot Coleman’s ‘The Winter Harvest Handbook’ has given me so many wonderful ideas to extend the season. I highly recommend it.  I am still working on improving the soil in the spot I have chosen for my garden. It’s my thing, what I studied in college and I have so much fun with it. I’m expecting some of the most beautiful, crumbly compost from a calving barn to be delivered very soon. I must go prepare!