Welcome, Spring?

Well, I have been silent for some time but it hasn't been without reason. There just simply hasn't been anything to write about. Winter is winter, and things die. It is unfortunate but true. However, it seems as if Whidbey Island has decided to make an early jump to spring. The temperatures have been in the 50's and many of the plants are already coming back! In my mind, it's almost spring. Granted, things could change and we could get a sudden freeze, but it's hard to imagine when I am outside without even a sweater. :-)

Inspired by this warm weather, I have taken to cleaning the gardens, the Wall included. It now has a fresh face lift. I am VERY pleased with how the perennials have come back! I wasn't sure how they would survive the winter in the odd conditions of the Vertical Garden, but they have proven to be very hardy. Some of the perennials starting to show new growth are : Marjarom, Thyme, Oregano, Pansies, Mimulus, Pentunias, and more!

I made a list of seeds to order for The Vertical Garden 2010. We will take our knowledge gained from last year's experiment and apply it to this year. It should make quite a difference. I can't wait to see how the Wall is transformed this year!

Frequently Asked Questions

I apologize for my delay in posting. Things at the farm have been quite busy with the hustle and bustle of the annual Whidbey Island Farm Tour. But I now have time to sit down and write. :-)

So many people have asked me questions about the wall. I thought it might be useful to post these questions. Perhaps they would answer some questions YOU may have. Feel free to leave any comments or questions you have that were not answered.

Q: What is the wall built of?
A: The structure of the wall is built of three things: posts to support the wall, wire (hogwire and chicken wire), and Typar. The posts were cemented several feet into the ground to support the large structure. On each side of the posts, a foot apart, the sides of the wall were erected. After the sides were thoroughly wired to the posts and to each other, the wall was filled dirt.

Q: How do you plant in the wall?
A: It is very simple to plant in the wall. You need three basic tools: a razor knife, a shovel, and wire cutters. I would recommend wearing gardening gloves because the wires can be rough on the hands. Simply cut the wires and bend them back making ample room for whatever you are planting. Then slit the Typar the appropriate size. Shovel out the dirt and gently place your plant inside. Within a few days your plant will begin to grow skyward. It is very exciting to see watch it grow up!

Q: How long did it take to plant the wall?
A: There are two walls at the farm, each is planted on both sides. It took me approximately 8 hours to plant each side. Keep in mind there were probably hundreds of plants for each side. Because there are more steps than normal gardening it does take longer. But it is well worth the effort when you see your final result!

Q: Is it possible to make a smaller version of your Vertical Garden?
A: Yes! It is very feasible to make a small Vertical Garden for those who don't have enough space or time. You could even build a small cube with the primary goal of growing salad greens. The possibilities are endless!

Q: What kind of things grow well on the Vertical Garden?
A: I found SO many things that grow well, particularly salad greens. Any sort of mustard, lettuce, kale, pac choi, etc. does exceedingly well. I have grown many herbs (Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley) and flowers. Petunias are perhaps the best flowers to plant in the wall. They do a great job of covering and flowing. Any climbing vines or flowers are fabulous! I haven't experimented AS much with vegetables, but tomatoes have done great, as well as Chard.

Q: How do you fertilize?
A: I have found it easiest to use liquid fertilizer (MiracleGro) and to pour small amounts into each hole using a watering can.

Q: How do you water?
A: We have placed a soaker hose at the top of the wall. Actually, I have found that the wall very rarely dries out. Because it is shaded it stays very wet. The top foot or so dries out but the soaker hose does a good job at watering that. As I plant I water them in to keep them from going into too much shock.

I think that covers the questions I am asked most often. Like I said, please ask any questions you may have. This IS experimental so I cannot garantee that I can answer everything. :-) We are also at the end of the season so there won't be a lot to post about between now and spring. But I am eagerly anticipating the planning for next year's Vertical Garden!

I was able to harvest some salad greens from the wall this past week. What fun!

Replacement time!

So now comes the fun part....replacing things that have gone to seed! In my last post I mentioned that although lettuce does great in the wall, it has to be replanted after a while. Today we took out the lettuce that I planted during that first week. Some of it is almost as tall as I am! It seemed really bare after we were done but it was nice to get it all cleaned up. I planted more lettuce since it seems to love the conditions of the wall so much. It really thrives!

So while we were pulling out the old lettuce we realized an issue. Naturally over time the outer leaves of lettuce brown and rot. However, since the lettuce grows up and against the wall the leaves rot faster. If you don't take away the rotten leaves it will spread quickly. So we have just realized that we need to constantly be checking for leaves that are rotting between the lettuce and the wall.

I am beginning to formulate a plan in my head for next year. It's difficult to decide between really interesting things and plants that fill out and cover. Maybe I will do a combination. I suppose I have all winter to think about it! I really like the practicality of the wall. It can be very useful for planting vegetables and herbs. My desire is for it to be a practical display garden; a garden that produces salad greens, parsley, kale, etc. in a way that is attractive and unique. And of course flowers are a must!

I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am open and asking for any suggestions that anyone might have. While I have learned A LOT this year about vertical gardening, I would still love to hear other ideas. Please leave a comment and enjoy the pictures!

Linnea was deadheading the pansies while Mrs. Rawls and

I were discussing next year's plans for the wall.Me

Linnea, Me and Mrs. Rawls

Almost done...

I finished Wall #4 yesterday! Well...almost. I have about 1 1/2 rows still to do. But it is so nice to see it really shaping up. So for this wall Mrs. Rawls suggested the I do vertical rows. It was a fabulous idea! In the wall, things naturally grow up so they should easily keep their vertical lines.

I did a brief inventory in my mind of what we had and what could go in the wall. A lot of what I was planning to use several weeks ago has now been planted in other places. But that's ok. I was still able to work with what we had. Last year all of the Alyssum that we planted in the Quilted Garden went to seed and we were blessed with an abundance of it this year. It didn't exactly flow with the design so we dug it up and repotted it. It's been a lifesaver! It works very well in the wall and we have plenty. :-)

I have discovered that Thyme is fabulous in the wall! It just grows right up and fills out. It's been amazing to watch how fast things grow in the wall. On Wednesday I planted some Thyme and Petunias. When I went into work on Thursday morning they had already started to grow up! I couldn't believe it! I am looking forward to seeing what it will be like by next week! Also...we have tomatoes growing!

Until next time.... Wall #4

The strawberries almost reach the ground!!!

Update!

Ok so it's been a while since I posted anything about how the gardens are doing. Part of it is because I haven't actually seen the gardens in a while with so much other stuff going on. But between yesterday and this morning I was able to really evaluate them and get some good pics. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to do any actual gardening in a while.

It has been very hard to keep things wet with the dry spell we've had, so I have to say that, in spite of the "draught", things are doing very well! The wall is really starting to fill out! The only drawback is that some things have gone to seed and I haven't had time to replace them. The Joi Choi and Mustard have both gone to seed and I suspect the lettuce will soon. No worries! But do keep in mind if you ever choose to plant these things in your wall (if you decide to take on such a challenge) that you will need to plan for succession plants. You may decide against it because it would have to be replanted several times a year. That is why we chose against an entire wall of lettuce. Could you imagine planting a wall of lettuce three times each year?! Talk about time consuming!

I think my favorite part of the wall right now is the pansies in the walkway. They are all blooming right now and are so beautiful! I also started on my next wall. However, you only get a small glimpse of what it will be like. (Just because it's not done yet. ;-) But I hope to finish that this week. I think that's all I have for now. I plan to do another update soon when I have spent more time working with my hands. :-)

The Warm Side

The Cool Side

Wall #1

Wall #2

Pansy Arch

Wall #3

Wall #4 (A glimpse of what's to come.)

Another side is finished!

Yesterday I finished my third side of the Vertical Garden. It is very time consuming because you have to cut the wire, slit the typar, dig the hole, then find a way to fit the plant in the hole. Up until now other gardens have taken a priority, but I have finally found the time to complete this one. I have to say I am very satisfied with its outcome.

Only one side left! Now I have been paying very close attention to the plants as they grow in this strange establishment and several have just thrived! I think one of the most interesting is the strawberry plant. You'll see why in the picture. The petunias are doing fabulous! By far the best plant for the wall. Pansies also seem to like it. I planted them a few weeks ago when they were smaller and now they are starting to bloom .YAY! As far as veggies go, I think the lettuce would get first place. I didn't think it would get so big! It really just fills out. I love it! Let's see....what else is doing well. Actually I can't think of much that isn't loving it. Except maybe the Coleus. I don't think get as much shade as they would like.

One thing I am looking for as I watch these plants grow are plants that really fill out. Even though some are surviving and doing ok, they aren't really covering as much as I would like. Plants that I have noticed to fill out are Petunias, pansies, lettuce, chard, alyssum, and Mimulus. So those are definitely keepers. Well, I think I have spoken enough. Now I will allow you to see for yourself. ENJOY!

What a week!

This week was incredible! So much was accomplished and everyone has been working so hard. First I will comment on new things I have learned about Vertical Garden planting. 1) Planting things while they are small is so much easier! It is much more difficult to stuff a plant into a small hole when it comes out of a 4 in. pot. 2)Don't plant things while they are TOO small. There seems to be a fine line when determining the size to plant. Big enough to hold it's own, but not too big to fit into the hole. There were a few things I planted that died off because they weren't quite to the point to support themselves. Oh well. Live and learn. The second wall I planted seemed to thrive more and I think it might be because the plants were stronger.

I am SO excited to see the difference in the farm comparing this week to last week. Last Monday the guys started laying the Typar for the courtyard and VOILA! It's beautiful! There is now a wonderful, meandering path from the Quilted Garden to the Vertical Garden. There are several different aspects to the Courtyard. 1) The Lavender Display Garden, we planted many different kinds of lavender. 2) the Miniature Garden, this seems to charm every person who views it. It's so easy to see why. It's so cute! 3) The Herb Garden, obviously this is the place for the herbs. Then you reach the Wall! It is truly an amazing experience. I am so glad I am able to be a part of it. I will now take you on a pictoral tour of the gardens at A Knot In Thyme.

View from the Distance

Entrance to the Quilted Garden (The Warm Side) (The Cool Side)

Entrance to the Courtyard

The Lavender Display Garden The Miniature Garden The Herb Garden My newly finished wall Looking back from the Wall.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. If you haven't come out to see it in person, I encourage you to do so. :-) Nothing gives us more joy than to share the peacefulness of the gardens with others.