Garden dreaming

Finally, spring is here. All the dreams and plans formed in winter can now be put into action. I've spent a lot of time reading magazines, browsing blogs, collecting images, and generally daydreaming. I look out the window and think about what I want to see out there. I imagine strolling through the potager on a warm summer evening, and think about what I want to be harvesting. Lest I forget, I jot down notes in my garden notebook. 

High on my list of wants is a patio. I want somewhere to put a table and chairs where I can sit and eat and relax. I also want somewhere that's shady during the hottest part of the afternoon. We cleared a lot of shrubbery to make the back yard sunny which I love, but after working hard in the sun for a while I need somewhere to sit and cool off. On the south side of the house there is a concrete slab. It doesn't go anywhere so it's not a path, and it's not big enough to put chairs on, but I can fix it so it does the job! I have a pile of concrete blocks that my neighbour was giving away, so this weekend I've finally finished cleaning the old mortar off them, and started digging out the trench to lay them in. Brick laying is a horrible chore and such hard work, but I just keep in mind that image of my pretty patio... and hopefully it won't take me too long to get this job done.

 Here are some sketches from my garden notebook. I like to plan out the potager, it rarely goes exactly according to plan but as long as I've allowed room for the staples like potatoes and tomatoes and the bean fence, then I can figure out what else goes where.

This is the plan from last spring/summer.

 And the plan for winter. I try to rotate things around, or at least plant something from a different family in that space for a different season. It doesn't always work out, because I value form as well as function in vege gardening, but at least I can keep track of it this way!

This is the plan for spring/summer this year. Still in pencil because it changes depending on what I have to fit in. Having a drawing is no guarantee I won't impulsively buy a punnet of something I didn't plan for that I will have to shove in somewhere! That's half the fun though.

What are your plans for the garden this spring?