Newbie Garden Mistake | Picking the Wrong Place to Plant
OK, so I was looking for photos of March to see when we had this much snow this morning and I found this photo from 2012 when mike first planted the orchard.
So see the area on the hill in the red circle?
That is where I want to grow wildflowers. Or any kind of flowers. Or even some raspberries or fruit bushes. Right now the bee hives are on the flat spot in the middle but theres still plenty of rocky soil on that hill that I would like to cover with flowers.
I see raw dirt. So I think that’s the place to put my seeds. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
3 reasons this is the worst spot on our property to put new seeds.
1. It’s the worst soil around.
The reason nothing is growing there is because weeds don’t even want to grow there! It’s rocky, sandy, and bereft of any nutrients at all.
2. It’s on a south facing slope.
This would be ok, but it’s gonna take a lot of water to get anything to germinate or take off and it’s not close to a water supply. It’s just past the reach of our longest hose which means it would have to have water hauled to it, even if I bring the hose nearby and fill up a watering can it breaks my rule of easy convenient watering.
3. If I was going to amend the soil and tote it water, it’s going to be costly.
Someday this area might get some tender loving care and if we come across some low cost bulk compost or manure this area might get a facelift. It would be nice to have some blossoms for the bees, and above them spotted knapweed grows abundantly because it’s even harder to water, so I’d like to get rid of that.
But for now this is a section that’s low priority. There are much better areas on our lawn to cultivate that will take less work and money. I am going to try to chase my oregano that way which seems to thrive everywhere. And see if I can find some other easy to grow native plants.
Perhaps move a juniper bush over there somewhere, that seems to thrive in our soil and it addd shelter for our domestic pets. The chickens love to pick insects around the juniper and the cats and dog love to to lay underneath on a hot sunny day. I’ve never tried to relocate one but when I look at pics on our property it amazes me how much they have grown over the years.
What I won’t do
I will not be trying to plant echinaceas, wildflower packets, irises, or any other flowers that need babied or quality soil in this space that I think would look so pretty covered in wildflowers but indeed they would need much more pampering then I have time to give.
About the author, Jackie Marie
I'm an artist and educator. I live at the "Organic Oasis" with my husband Mike where we practice earth friendly techniques in our garden nestled in the mountains of Montana.