DR.
GREEN GROWS HIS GARDEN
Dr. Green and his wife have
settled into what is for them a perfect piece of land. He wanted to be in the country and she
wanted to be in the city. Their
site is on the boundary of both.
In the early 1990's, Dr. Green used a machete, a steel-bladed
weed eater, and a hard rake to clear a site for the house from the
overgrown 'viney
woods' as his wife calls it.
The
garden never had a plan; it evolved along with Dr. Green's passion for
gardening. (With a name like
Green, what other obsession would do?) First to arrive was one little rose bed. Next came a vegetable patch. Then a greenhouse and a large
ornamental pond followed an explosion of plants.
Dr.
Green raises vegetables organically so that the children who visit the garden
can stop to pull a carrot or pluck a bean and eat it right away without any
fear of pesticide residue. He
found that by raising the beds with concrete blocks, it not only helped
with drainage, it also cut their work in half and doubled their production of
vegetables.
The
soil in raised beds warms up quicker in the early spring, allowing for planting
ahead of schedule. Since the soil,
water, and fertilizer can be regulated in each bed, it's like gardening in
containers. Vegetables can be
planted closer together, which increases crop harvests.
The
Greens first little water feature was constructed from a cast-off bathtub. Happy with the sight and sound but not
content with such a small space, Dr. Green put in a 50 foot long by 30-foot
wide pond complete with a tall waterfall.
The
Greens have expanded their greenhouse at least twice. In it, Dr. Green grows his vegetable plants for the next
year. One end houses their orchid
collection. Dr. Green says in the
winter there's a coffee pot, music, and chairs inside. This is where they spend time just
relaxing. He says, "It
keeps you
sane during the winter."
---Anne K Moore,
February 27, 2009---