For our one year wedding anniversary Olaf and I went to Château de Tennessus in Poitou Charentes, France.  They had the most unique English garden and we liked the idea so much that we attempted to have the same thing in our backyard.

Our Garden

I have found that this type of garden is much easier to maintain and looks beautiful year round.  As I harvest all the vegetables in the fall I plant tulips in the squares for a beautiful spring garden.  I also add compost and create mounds of dirt so that when spring is here I can plant as soon as the soil is warm enough.

 

During the summer it only takes me a few minutes to weed inside the dirt squares and I can toss the weeds onto the grass and mulch them up when I mow the sod.  It also retains moisture better, takes less compost and fertilizer. 

 

The garden shed holds all my gardening tools as well as some dried gourds.

The best part about this type of garden is that you never get dirty.  I can sit on the grass and pick veggies and pull weeds.
Text Box: Here’s our garden the last week of June. What a difference three months makes in the heat! Text Box: My nephew, Charlie, and niece, Madison helping dig potatoes in the garden. Text Box: Bobby and Belinda Jensen taped two segments at our house on July 27, 2006. The first was on our unique garden and the second was on how important it is to water your trees, shrubs and grass during the hot summer. Text Box: What’s growing in our garden? Click here to view a map of everything. Text Box: Our niece, Madison, sniffing a Dahlia. The 2005 MN State Fair Largest Sunflower Head!

We bring items to the State Fair for fun.  It makes going to the state fair a lot more fun when you have items to look at.  Each year I try something different. 2006 year I brought wine and a scarecrow. The scarecrow even made it on the cover of the Star Tribune.  All produce is donated at the end of the fair and they mail you your ribbons and cut you a check.  It pays for all the food we eat while we are there.

 

The Minnesota State Fair Results

 

2005

Largest sunflower head - 32.5 inches

 

2006

White Zinfandel Wine - 3rd place

Crop Art Scarecrow (Corn in the USA) - 3rd place

Gourds - 2nd place

Decorated squash - 1st place

Scarred squash - 2nd place

Poppy seed muffins - 5th place

 

2007

White Zinfandel Wine - 2nd place

Pear Wine - 2nd place

Apple Wine - 2nd place

Scarecrow - 6th place

Decorated squash - 2nd place

 

2008

Pear Wine - 2nd place

White Zinfandel Wine - 3rd

Rhubarb Wine- 5th place

Guertzieminer - 5th place

Scarecrow - 4th place

 

Anoka County Fair Results 2007

Pear Wine - Sweepstakes winner

 

 

 

 

2006 Scarecrow

This was Olaf’s idea for a scarecrow - Bruce Springsteen!  He’s wearing Olaf’s favorite shirt and work jeans (that’s what happens when your wife builds a scarecrow without you around!) We were going to build it together but ran out of time so at 8 pm on Sunday night (I had to turn him in on Monday am) I quickly created the scarecrow.  We put him into the truck that night and by the time I got to the Fairgrounds he broke in half at the waist. I pulled him out and he fell onto me. A nice guy saw him fall apart on me and helped me carry him into the building. A little, old man with a shaky hand and drill screwed his body back together for me.  Thanks little old man!

 

 
Text Box: The newest addition to the garden is my bean pole. I found this old copper horse weather vane at a tack swap and had to have it but didn't know where to put it. We built this bean pole for the vane to rest inside. Text Box: The section closest to the garden shed was for pumpkins and squash. In 2008 I put strips of sod down for Dahlia and potatoes in the soil sections. I have a small area in the pasture for pumpkins and squash now...right were the manure pile was all winter long. Text Box: Lemon Cucumbers Text Box: Dinnerplate Dahlias are my favorite flower to grow. They are stunning in size and color. Text Box: 2008 Scarecrow This is a tribute to my friend Kari Stanek. She was Princess Kay of the Milky Way in 1997. Text Box: I’m pointing to my White Zin wine that won second place at the State Fair in 2008. Text Box: A view of the garden from our deck. You can see the horses eating in the background.