The Waiting Garden

Some of the Waiting Plants

I stopped blogging this summer because I was in a holding pattern, waiting to move with my daughter's family to our their new house on one and a half acres.  When I moved to Dripping Springs two years ago, I expected to be planting a LOT of trees as the kids bought seven acres that had only three trees. So I started collecting trees and shrubs.

Then they found they couldn't get a loan for a house on that property and bought a mostly tree covered lot. I changed my focus and started researching and collecting plants for dry shade and grasses to hold the soil on the sunny slope in the front yard.

All summer, I fought to keep the pots watered enough and to keep vegetables growing in three 4' X 12' raised beds. Then the electric company told us they needed to replace the pole in my garden so I had to open the deer netting and clear out Months went by and the pole was never replaced। But my neighbor's goats broke out a few times to come and dine on the garden and take down more netting. Deer started helping themselves to everything. Beans, zucchini, Swiss chard and lots of little shrubs, trees, and perennials were severely cut back or even pulled completely up. Many plants died.

Twelve 20-30 gallon pots of tomatoes were so scraggly that I just pulled them up. Several of my pepper plants, growing in Earth boxes, died or were pruned back so severely by the deer that they are only beginning to grow again. The eggplants are also history. I didn't get the fall tomatoes planted in time and they are now very few and scraggly. I'll probably only grow a few through this winter. So I was majorly disgusted with even thinking about gardening. 

I started working on the new property soon after it was cleared. I moved soil, cedar mulch and hauleld compost from the old house to imprrove the soil and drainage. We have really deep soil here. When we dug the holes to set the corner posts, we had soil all the way down the three foot deep holes. But is heavy and really holds water so I’m raising all the beds. But I have lots more to make or finish before I can plant.

The T-posts and Fence Wire in the Mud

I got started building a fence before the rains came and got the plants moved. Now I've been in a waiting mode again because it has been too wet to finish the garden which is a resting place for six deer. And this past weekend, my fence building friend had the flue.

Storage Area for Soil, Compost\ and Worm Beds

This area needs a lot of work to build storage for soil ingredients, mulch, and pots. It is stacked here, waiting for a building project that may happen during the winter. 

Future Viewing Garden From Out My Bedroom Window

I hope to have this garden in in time to have columbines blooming. But part of it is on top of the septic tank and we have to wait for the soil to settle and then add soil to get it level again.  The area that will be a path to my garden is also waiting for lots  more loads of soil.

Future Rose Garden Waiting for More Soil

This will  be a focal point of my garden.  It will be a raised bed, lined with stone with maybe a little stacked stone wall for a mutabulis rose to lean against. It will have a few easy roses and penstemons and other plants that need to be saved from the deer. Other parts will hold other flowers, vegetables, seedling grasses, and seeds and cuttings of native shrubs and perennials I'll start from seed.