I'd like to pretend that I've been flying under the radar while working quietly on a huge reveal or a big surprise, but the evidence speaks against me. 😅  The truth is that this summer was rough and I got very little done.

Once school started and we fell into our favorite rhythm of being home and doing school I found myself with more time and energy.  Homeschool is so restful for me, I love it so much.  I'm taking advantage of the fall to try and get in some last minute work.  During our Sabbath week I worked out in the garden almost 6 hours a day.  I pulled up all of my sunchokes and moved them, put up the frame for the girl's grape house, planted the last of the trees, we now have 25, and I'm only waiting for one more to come in the Spring.  Elizabeth helped me put in a flower bed I've been wanting for years and I finally finished my plan and got it all mapped out.  It's not exactly to scale, but it will give you an idea of what the finished product will look like.

I've been stuck on guilds.  I'm not sure where to start or how to start.  My trees are all very small right now, so if I plant on the drip line then I will have to move things every few years and I don't want to do that, but I also don't want to plant things out in the space that will eventually be the drip line 6 feet away.  I went with a few friends to tour an established permacultures yard in the hopes of getting some tips.  I got TONS of tips and inspiration as well.  I decided to make my guilds themed because that will give me an idea of what to plant and also make it more fun when people come over. So far we have guild plans for a cut flower garden, a tea garden, a kitchen herb garden, a medicinal garden, a chicken garden, three sisters gardens, and a vegetable garden.  Does the pumpkin patch count as a guild?  Since many of the plants we want fit into more than one guild we will have a lot of repeats and I like that because if a plant, like rosemary, doesn't thrive in one spot, it is likely to thrive in another.   I think I'm the most excited for the chicken garden.  It will be filled with food for them to eat, and us of course, and herbs to help them stay healthy and mite free.  It will be back by the chicken run so that it will be easy to give them their food.

The grape house is the first thing we are building to add a bit of magic to the yard.  Elizabeth and Abigail really wanted a sunflower house, which didn't work last year, but we will try again.  The grape house is the compromise because I can't plant something soft and green under the grape harbor.  There will be a small creek that runs through the grapes soon and they won't be able to lay under there and read.  So we put up the grape house, marked our favorite red table grapes and this year when I prune I will propagate the red grapes and plant them around their grape house.  We will put a bench in there and plant something soft and green, like microclover that they can lay on to read in the shade. There is even a space for a window.  They also want to line the path with flowers.

I Still have so much to do, but I feel like I am close.  Now that I have all of the trees in and the paths marked out I can start laying down plans for planting.  I am going to plant some of the flowers and herbs in the fall, they know when it is the right time to grow, I don't know why I wait until I think it's the right time.  The wild sunflowers were a foot tall before it was the "right time" according to the package.  I am really looking forward to starting the guilds, now that I have a plan for them, and I am also very excited that I will have a vegetable garden with fresh tomatoes and carrots, green beans, and kale.  Here's to hoping we have another fantastic, wet winter, and hoping the time passes quickly so I can get out there and plant!