Updated garden design

[Russian River Rattina]

The design committee met this weekend (e.g. Ann & Carolyn) & updated
the garden design. Carolyn has formatted it as a JPEG & uploaded it to
the FILES section of this site for everyone's perusal. She & Ann did
an AWESOME job. It's beautiful, functional, & looks highly
professional. Thank you.

The updated design provides an excellent starting point & provides all
the information & measurements we need in order to purchase & scrounge
up materials & supplies.

SOME NOTES ON THE DESIGN:

(1) It incorporates a combination of 4x6 & 4x8 foot plots, along
with the wine barrels & squash mound (now 10 ft diameter).

(2) The entire garden space is accessible via wheelchair (i.e. 3
feet wide), though some areas just have 2 feet between them to
conserve space).

(3) The large, polygonal plots radiating from the squash mound are
designed so the maximum width is 4 feet, as recommended during the
meeting (so you only have to reach 2 feet to get to the center).

(4) There's 2 feet between all plots & landscaping elements & the
outer fence, which is reserved for vines/climbers.

Please look this over & post any questions, comments & feedback you
may have. Also, if you know someone who is interested & doesn't have
an internet connection &/or color printer, please print this out &
pass it along.

Thank you.

-- Elisabeth

[C Thompson]

Thank you, Elizabeth. And hello Gardeners!

The design committee has been at work drafting a conceptual plan to incorporate features discussed within the group as a whole, narrowed down to what we deemed the most functional and practical, while also having a strong visual appeal.  We want our garden to be a beautiful and inviting retreat, in addition to providing a space to grow some of our own organic produce and flowers.

The preliminary design mapped out on a square footage grid to scale has been posted as a downloadable jpeg file to the rio-nido-gardenerds site, and is now open to review and further refinement by the group.  I encourage the use of this forum for feedback on the proposed design, and I am happy to fine-tune the basic layout in any way decided upon (now by the group at large) before we begin constructing any of the more permanent garden features.  .

Comments have begun to reach me since posting the proposed basic garden design. Included are the anticipated requests for a group design review (which is on the agenda for the meeting scheduled for the second Saturday in April - the 11th) as well as suggestions for potential design modifications, among which are the following:

A suggestion has been made that we reduce to a half-circle the configuration of raised beds radiating outward from the circular squash mound, like the rising sun.  Another voice supports eliminating this design element in order to make room for more individual plots.  Others seem to really like the basic design.

The semi-circular layout as presented is intended as a visual welcome to those entering the garden or viewing it from the street.  The open spaces are not to go under-utilized.  There is room outside the boxes for in-the-ground plantings of attractive edible and floral landscaping: artichokes, rosemary, lavender and so forth.  There is a sparse scattering of these plantings suggested on the plans, but all open space not designated as a pathway is available for community garden plantings. We also left this space open and undefined to invite contributions of garden art, as well as a bird bath and bird feeders to encourage insect eaters into our organic garden.

The northernmost portion of a garden is reserved for tall plants that would otherwise shade their shorter neighbors: corn, pole beans, peas, and various climbing vines.  This design incorporates space for bean-tee pees and other structures for supporting climbers. The perimeter is also designated for growing climbers along the fence.

There has been a suggestion that the distance between the beds and other features throughout could be reduced to two feet in width to allow for more plots.  The present layout with it's one central pathway measuring four feet wide, and other lengthwise paths and one intersecting east-west pathway between the beds measuring three feet wide, allows for wheelchairs and wheelbarrows and carts and strollers to travel along these slightly wider paths between rows, and, with some maneuvering, to turn around and to negotiate corners. Each bed is accessible by at least one of these wider utility pathways.  Most of the beds are separated north to south by two foot wide footpaths, and the perimeter footpath is also an adequate two feet wide, provided the growth of the perimeter climbers is kept in check. 

The 4x4 and 4x6 foot beds have been called out for being smaller in size than the 4x8 and 4x10 foot beds discussed in the group.  We included the smaller plots in the design in anticipation that the more manageable size will better suit the novice or less avid gardener or single individual who wants to make the commitment to plant and tend their own plot throughout the year, but might become overwhelmed by too large a plot.

The 4x4 foot plot is also the ideal size to plant and easily tend various of our community crops, and their size could, in fact, be used to differentiate the larger boxes designated for individuals from the smaller community tended and harvested boxes, should that be decided upon among the guidelines.

The limited number of individual plots shouldn't be a deterrent to anyone wanting to participate in our community garden.  Those who don't request a box of their own (or who might prefer to have one but find none available), will still have ample opportunity to garden: planting, tending to, and harvesting from the many common areas.  We anticipate no shortage of tasks or scarcity of harvest from our community garden! 

I'm pleased with our progress thus far!

Carolyn

[Elisabeth Parker]

Carolyn, this is awesome. Do you maybe have time to compose a list of of all the comments/disputed items so we can discuss them & put them up for a vote at the next meeting? Also, some decisions (i.e. stuff we aren't building immediately) can be tabled until we all see how things are going.

Thanks for everything.

-- Elisabeth

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Visit my blog, Russian River Rattina at
http://rrrattina.blogspot.com/, for my takes on
news, issues, & happenings along the Russian
River.

[C Thompson]

Hi Elisabeth and Gardeners!

Sure... I will continue to post to this site the things of note as they arise.  And I will compose a consolidated list prior to the next meeting and post that here as well.

Carolyn