Garden of the Day: Ornamental Edibles
[nggallery id=”22461″ template=galleryview] In our first submission from Carroll Gardens, the contributer notes that the neighborhood “look good from the back too. This garden is grown on a theme of ornamental edibles and actually produces a nice quantity of edible fruit and vegetables. The most important feature of this garden is a peach espalier on…
[nggallery id=”22461″ template=galleryview]
In our first submission from Carroll Gardens, the contributer notes that the neighborhood “look good from the back too. This garden is grown on a theme of ornamental edibles and actually produces a nice quantity of edible fruit and vegetables. The most important feature of this garden is a peach espalier on the south east side of the garden with four different peach trees with fruit maturity dates from mid July to late September. There is also a substantial and productive raspberry bush on the northwest corner of the garden. The garden produces good quantities of beans, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce, pak choi, peas, asparagus and nasturtium. There are also perennial flowers including roses and wisteria.”
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Good questions 7/4/8. No, I haven’t had the soil tested. However, when I started the garden I excavated lots of debris from my back yard. There was old marble from discarded fire places, nice material I reused. Lots and lots of concrete from former construction, and I dug a long dry well as well that I filled with stone dug out of the rest of the yard. The vegetables are grown on raised beds, maybe 8 inches at present, but the subsoil has been replaced by compost from Floyd Bennet Field composting area down about 18 inches. Same with the peach espalier area though lots of peat was added to that soil as well. I amend the soil yearly with compost and manure but have not had it tested for lead or other heavy metals assuming that they are present in all south Brooklyn soil to some extent. By steadily amending the soil I am certain whatever heavy metal content is there is diminishing. The peach roots do travel, ideally. These are pretty much captured however in a subsoil concrete wall, the soil inside that wall has been replaced. Still, you never know. I’m not particularly concerned, maybe I should be, but I grew up on a farm and am familiar with the many chemicals that drive our agricultural system. I stay away from insecticides but live with the heavy metals.
I have a question. I was always under the impression that Bklyn dirt isn’t really suitable for growing edibles (high lead concentrations, for one thing). It looks like you might have used raised beds in the middle, which you could fill with fresh soil. But I can’t really tell, from the picture.
And for herbs and things, I suppose it doesn’t really matter, since they’re eaten in such small quantities. But what about the peaches and raspberries? They have deeper roots, don’t they? Have you gotten your soil (or the fruit) tested for lead or other contaminants?
I’m not trying to be annoying, I just have wondered about planting edibles in my own backyard, since my two-year-old would probably be eating whatever I grow. So far, I’m sticking to growing our tomatoes in pots, and we have a little raised bed at our community garden where we grow a few other things (weeds, mostly :). Am I being too cautious?
No fertilizer, compost. Slow release fruit pellets for the peaches, manure for the roses. No insecticides, beneficial insects instead, praying mantiss. Peaches get adequate sun but would do better on top of a hill somewhere. Yes, these peaches need more than one for pollination but the four are to spread the season out. Birds and squirrels do eat the blueberries and raspberries but they haven’t eaten many. Southern exposure, southeastern to be more precise.
Very nice!
i think this is the best gotd yet!
Yes, please let us know – do you use fertilization in the garden? 🙂
Wonderful effort. I like the geometry here.
What variety of fern is that?
Any problem with squirrels/birds or other unwelcome visitors eating the bounty?
What is your sun exposure?
Do you use fertilization? What kind?
thanks…nice garden.
Delicious.Do the peaches need full sun? Do you need more than one for cross-pollination?
no pictures?