The List

We're starting to think about all we would like to grow beginning next year with a few new perennials and garden vegetables.  The children helped me make the list, and they were thorough.  Jason added one or two things, but I was amazed at all the children thought of.

I think the list is too long for a blog post; it would be boring, I'm afraid.  However, it did help me think of how much space we need and what variety of spaces.  For example, I've been looking at the little strips of woods we have and wondering whether we'll do anything specific with them at all.  We definitely want some uncultivated space, and some of the woods serve as a visual barrier to the atv/snowmobile trail that runs around one edge of the property.  Some of the woods run up a couple of hillsides that we would not cultivate anyway, and that are shaded because of the hill.

But, looking at the list and these woods, I realize there still could be some deliberate planting.  With some careful planning, we could use the woods to shelter fruit trees.  I would like to plant some sugar maples for some other generations, and these could be integrated into the woods, I think.  There are other maples, but I do not know how well sugar maples would do here.  I like how tamarack trees look, so we could maybe work a couple in where the woods are thin.

Also, the west side of the house has a long, sunny afternoon.  In the winter, this is lovely, but the bedrooms heat up to almost unbearable in the summer.  I am thinking if we could plant a couple of deciduous trees, maybe fruit trees, maybe maples or nut trees, on this side of the house, they would offer shade in the summer without blocking much of the winter sun.  We just need to be sure of where the septic tank is because I would not want to have a tree root there.

One funny thing on the list is hazel, because Ezra wants to grow a hedgerow.  Jason and I have hemmed and hawed about it, but as I look at the spaces and our desires, I realize he could actually give it a try along the atv trail.  I've been trying to think of some non- foodbearing, thorny plant, but as we made the list and hazel was mentioned yet again, I realized Ezra could give his dream a try.

The other thing about the list is it gets my newby gardener brain to figuring out what we can really try this year.  I've started marking on a calendar when we should start different things, and I am beginning to look for seeds.  So much to do!