New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

The fall season has come and gone quickly this year in the garden. Many projects were completed in the Teaching Garden and the Garden of Seven Gates. An early frost drove our attentions into our new high tunnel for winter greens and building a new rose garden to be planted in the spring.

High Tunnels before fall planting.

Throughout the fall we harvested cabbage, spinach, lettuce, radishes, and assorted greens. The colorful hardy calendula flowers made it all the way into mid-November providing vivid yellow and orange flowers. A 25×50 foot high tunnel using only the sun for heat is now planted with close to 1000 plants: leaf lettuce, head lettuce, two varieties, or spinach, paper white narcissus and kohlrabi. The first week of December will be our first harvest from the high tunnel, just two weeks after our last out door harvest. The three terraces and both large fields in the Garden of Seven Gates have been cover cropped to enhance the soil, deter early spring weeds, and reduce soil erosion. The biggest plant job was removing all of the plants from the season and moving them into our compost pile. Within the garden is a very large compost pile that combines cow manure and all of the green garden waste. By next fall we will have enough compost to use throughout the garden.

Cold hardy vegetables planted in the Garden of Seven Gates High Tunnel

A new rose garden and peaceful sitting area for visitors and community members is being constructed at the far end of the Garden of Seven Gates, just beyond the crest of the hill. As visitors enter the garden the top of wooden entrance arch, made from all reclaimed vines found outside the garden, can be seen over the cresting hill. In a few years this arch will be covered in white trailing roses. The garden was designed to look like it came a hundred years before the vegetable garden around it. Reclaimed large stones carved in the 1800’s were used to create the front fence and wishing well style planters. Flat stones reclaimed from the sounding areas are being used for a stone walkway that winds through the garden. Open rustic fencing on the sides of the garden were built from all reclaimed wood and vines found in the woods outside the garden. Finally, raised beds are being designed from old manure near the new ox barn. The new roses will be planted in early March. Just a few days ago we received a shipment of English Walnut trees to be added to our growing orchard. This coming week will be dedicated to getting the trees planted before the ground freezes and cages built around them to protect the trees from deer.

Rose garden fence being built in the Garden of Seven Gates

The Teaching Garden is getting many new improvements. The first was completed the last week of October, a beautiful new pergola. It will serve as a seating area, work benches for planting or garland making, and a trellis for vining flowers and bitter melons. Throughout the winter we will be rebuilding the interior of the tool shed to create space for volunteers, visitors, workspace, and storage. The exterior will also receive some attention with paint, seating, and storage. Next summer we hope to transform this area into a weekend farmers market.

Throughout the winter we will be planning and prepping for spring. By early February we will be seeding the earliest of spring vegetables. Such as English peas, kale, broccoli, cabbage, arugula, and early flowers. As the garden is resting for the winter I hope we can all take some time to plan and dream about our beautiful spring gardens.