This is the main ditch, which runs across the front of the property. Most of the ditch appears to date from the early 1900’s, with sloppy repair work done over the century to repair erosion, root damage, and wear and tear. Eventually I want to have the entire ditch removed and replaced with culverts. While hearing the cascading water all day is really nice, there is always the fear that it will get backed up and pour out over the top of the ditch. The metal diversion sets how much water comes onto the property.
http://i.imgtc.com/2s8VtteYoM.jpg
This ditch lateral runs down the south side of the property and supplies water to both my property and the back neighbors.
http://i.imgtc.com/7q1RpY0j6O.jpg
This lateral run parallel to the main ditch, along the front of the property. At the far end, it makes a 90 degree turn and provides water to the neighbors and the property behind them. Eventually both laterals will be ripped out and replaced with pipe.
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While there are 27 water release points along the laterals, I consider this the main one for the property. Shaded by a large maple tree, this area primarily is used for greens. To the right: spinach, oak leaf lettuce, crimson onions, rocket, english plantains, and green onion. To the left: tarragon, thyme, savory, tansy, saison lettuce, pepper cress, columbine, and butterhead lettuce. This area of the ditch gets a fairly consistent trickle of water even on days the ditch is not running, so watercress is slowly sprouting up along the banks.
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Standing on the rock bridge. The wattle is made using tree of heaven limbs and is primarily to prevent the berms from eroding too much before roots can be established. To the left is my berry berm, with strawberries, currants, raspberries, and gooseberries. The small spit to the right was originally intended as an herb area, but I decided those herbs would be better put to use protecting other plants throughout the garden. It hosts a columnar apple tree that catches sun just outside of the shade of the maple tree, chamomile, oregano, thyme, cilantro, and chamomile. Yarrow will eventually grow here, but my yarrow seed did not thrive this year. Beyond this on the right is a small salvaged rose bush that is making a comeback, surrounded by daffodil and alium bulbs my kids planted last fall. Raised open bottomed planter boxes along the ditch edge are filled with various tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.
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This is taken from just on the other side of the planter boxes. The edge needs some weeding (everything needs some weeding to beat back the elm tree seeds). I don’t have any plans yet for the edge of the water. I planted a few leftover asparagus roots, but the area stays too wet for them to thrive. I may transplant some peonies to this area to bring in pollinators for the berries, which I have already done a little further down the ditch (just past the shallow crossing). To the far right, near the path, you can see some turnips, borage, and garlic growing near a small apricot tree. Further down on the right is the peonies, followed by lots of grass that the mower can’t reach. My trimmer is waiting on a new carburetor, otherwise it would have been cut down already. The grassy area will eventually be turned into another planting area, with a gazebo in the center. To the left, across from the peonies is flax that is slowly taking off. Further down is some clumping grass, home to at least one garden snake right now. Beyond this is parsley, horseradish, rhubarb, asparagus, pine and strawberry, sorrel, several basils, ginger, and a large bolting oak leaf lettuce that will be harvested for seed. A grape vine is using the pollarded mulberry tree as a trellis.
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Here the flow of water is partially blocked by a waterfall. This allows the water to spread over the yard and flow into the small garden pond. This low swampy area will eventually host wetland plants and hopefully be home to frogs and crawfish. The stretch of island between the ditch and pond contains strawberries, a small serviceberry, mints, garlic, crimson onions, nasturtiums, geraniums, lots of irish moss, and a small planter box for kale.
http://i.imgtc.com/LfSJ8Ob6Xr.jpg
Part of the swampy area as it flows into the small pond. It is mostly small ferns, garlic, bee balm, and crocus. Irises will be transplanted here next fall, as they are currently growing in a bad location.
http://i.imgtc.com/KCXpPDKo72.jpg
The small waterfall for the garden pond is working as a nursery for watercress. The wasabi plant in the center gets the perfect shade is needs, and is working at producing a rhizome. Peppercress is being allowed to go to seed, and native scouring rushes help filter the water.
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The last portion of the ditch, before it moves into the pond. On the right bank: cucumber, parsnips, coleus, marigold, nasturtium, onion, peppercress, some small jostaberry cuttings, and a coppiced mulberry. There is a small lilac barely visible in the lower left corner of the picture. I found it in the brush cleared from the site and it is doing well now that it is getting lots of sun. On the left: hamburg parsley, gooseberry cuttings, phlox, cat mint, and some small spruces.
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The main pond. It holds water well enough to keep a few small trout and minnows in it. There are a number of crawdads in it already. It’s level drops down about halfway between irrigation days, mostly due to the number of earthworms making swiss cheese out of the clay lining it. It will eventually seal all the way. The edges closest to the water are planted with emmer wheat, sunflowers, nasturtium, ivy, and creeping thyme. Most of the outer edges are planted with turnips, beets, and potatoes. There is a small rescued rose planted on the far side, a few transplanted peonies, and a walnut tree. The closest side is planted with raspberries, turnips, alpine strawberries, cumin, caraway, and stevia.
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https://i.imgtc.com/o4fQhmmS7r.jpg
This side of the berm was originally crushed granite driveway which was scraped out. No real prep work was done beyond tilling it a few times to break up the packed gravel and dirt, and some fish fertilizer mixed in. I built a few three sisters mounds, planted a few ground cherries and whatever else was handy, and let it go. The purslane loves it and is a constant snack.
https://i.imgtc.com/R10YHiwDA9.jpg
The pipe to the left runs back to the drip irrigation main. A pump will be hooked up that will pull water from the pond and push it through the irrigation. Eventually I want to set up an elevated water tank that a windmill will fill, with the irrigation being gravity fed rather than requiring an electric pump.
https://i.imgtc.com/BYutqDHT5m.jpg
Somewhat of a pollinator garden. We took a family trip to a local nursery and let the kids pick out whatever flowers they wanted, and planted them here. Its centrally located and brings in butterflies and bees. The rose bush was originally barely visible through a mass of brush. I cleared all of that away, did some major pruning, and planted lots of garlic and onion around it to help it out. Its so loaded with blooms that its scent is more noticeable than blooming lilacs.
https://i.imgtc.com/BYutqDHT5m.jpg
The three sisters mounds, in need of weeding. Shoepeg sweet corn, scarlet runner beans, and squash(acorn, banana, pumpkin, and loufa).
https://i.imgtc.com/O3fi0UqltG.jpg
Edit: Thought I'd throw in a few pics of before, from last fall (moved in around September)
This is looking down the main water release, same as pic 7.
https://i.imgtc.com/nn2SLSq.jpg
This is looking towards the berry berm:
https://i.imgtc.com/H73I3oi.jpg
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[–] Dkeere [S] ago
Way too late for that. The entire town is full of it. I knocked mine down to ground level, and cut back the limbs for wattle in fall.
I'm keeping them contained currently, until some newly planted maples can get going, but with neighbors on all four sides raining ailanthus, elm, catalpa, and cottonwood seeds down, I'm working with it until hardwoods can shade everything out.
[–] [deleted] ago
[–] Dkeere [S] ago
Not a chance anything more poisonous than an occasional dusting of sevin dust is getting used in my yard. Triclopyr is pretty much the complete antithesis of what I want out of my yard.
They've been growing here for well over 50 years. Frankly, I will take them over the elms, which rain down seeds to sprout up everywhere and do significantly more damage.