The Kitchen Garden
Colin and Paula have always grown food for themselves wherever they have lived. When they moved to the Farm in 1997, they quickly embarked on a vegetable garden in what had been the barnyard. They had the concrete removed and tore down the derelict silos and animal pens. The rabbit hutch was saved and repurposed as a chicken coop, but was removed when it became a palace for rats. They planted apple trees in the foundations of the silos and eventually built a series of raised beds in an intricate geometric pattern. This creates a lovely view from up above in the Sanborn Barn.
The four corner points surrounding the fountain are planted with the four fines herbes, parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil. Two beds are planted with perennial sorrel and a collection of thyme and sage species. The rest of the garden is rotated each year to foster a wide variety of vegetables and cut flowers.
Colin and Paula care for this garden on their own and believe the exercise they get tending to this garden is extremely important for their physical and mental health. They reserve much of the produce for personal use but share any excess with the kitchen. Ultimately, the kitchen garden will serve as constant herb and greens resource for the kitchen overlooking it.