Saturday, as a build up to the Homegrown NM Kitchen Garden and Coop Tour, all of the homeowners and volunteers got to go on a Preview Tour of all of the homes being featured within the city of Santa Fe (there are a few farms on the tour as well, but they are in Coralles so they weren't included in this part of the preview).
The preview started at 10:00 and ran until 2:00 with about 30 minutes at each location, plus travel time and there were ~90 participants.
Here are a few of the photos I took of the other gardens/properties as well as a few notes about what I noticed/enjoyed/was inspired by at each location.
Preview #1
- Gorgeous, huge piece of property with lots of native flowers and vegetable gardens, all of them fenced in or covered up with wire fencing to protect them from rabbits and such.
- Highlight? The scarlet runner beans making their way up and over a fence-turned-arbor! Beautiful!
Preview #2
- Huge, landscaped, permacultured backyard with a great deck and stone paths. Lots of old trees, established ivy and undergrowth, great compost and a tiny veggie patch.
- Highlights? Splashes of color and whimsy made this yard feel livable and the creeping thyme and tiny flowers between the stones along the path added a softness to the walk. I would love to have both in our yard or on our eventual farm some day.
Preview #3
- Old, double lot dating back to the mid-1800s. Established trees and perennials, amazing pollinator friendly flowers and bushes, a bunch of top bar hives and happy bees!
- Highlights? The bees, huge shade trees, water features and the best (most calming) wind chime I have ever heard!
Preview #4
- Huge lot hidden in the back yard! Lots of open space, a small veggie patch, a few chickens (and pullets) and four (full-sized) very friendly goats!
- Highlights? Um...the goats! Hands down! I still miss the goats we spent "shared" and still have fantasies about finding a little spot in our yard for goats.
Preview #5 - US!!! Every one of the volunteers was very excited about our tiny space! There were questions about how we built everything, what varieties of veggies we are growing, how our Pallet Beds are working out for us, how many chickens we have and what we do with them when they stop laying, how we built our potting table and what the property looked like when we first moved in.
Having everyone here for such a short amount of time was pretty overwhelming but made for some awesome conversations!
Having everyone here for such a short amount of time was pretty overwhelming but made for some awesome conversations!
Preview #6
- This community garden is just a short distance from our house and is home to many individual and shared plots!
- Highlights? I saw with my own two eyes that new grapes will grow here, despite our challenges in growing them to date, and that cabbage and brussels sprouts can be very successful here in the full sun in the summer despite how hot and dry our summers are! Both have been added to my list of veggies to place in hotter spots next year!
Other highlights included meeting The Tomato Lady (who gave us some great tips on a few of our tomatoes...more on that later) and meeting two of the faces behind Edible Santa Fe. Great people, full of information and fun to chat with, without a doubt!
Today is the actual tour...where several hundred people will walk through our little yard and hopefully be inspired! I'll let you know how it goes!
Today is the actual tour...where several hundred people will walk through our little yard and hopefully be inspired! I'll let you know how it goes!
xoxo,
M
I love seeing other people's gardens. I think the picture I like the best is of that blue door - I love unexpected stuff like that. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love garden tours and farm tours... so good to see what others are doing, and get ideas from them!
ReplyDeleteDitto what Mary Ann said, garden tours are always so nice. It's a great way to get ideas. And just think, after the tour, people all over will be talking about YOUR garden. Isn't that neat?
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