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Celtic Cross Garden with Herb Spiral

  • We designed this Celtic Cross Garden pattern for a vegetable garden in our 20’ wide side yard.
  • The center is an herb spiral.
  • The darker lined path is wide enough for a wheelbarrow (about 2.5’ wide).  This is the only path through our side yard, so we chose to keep it wide.
  • The circular path around the herb spiral aids two way traffic.
  • The four planting quadrants (in green) have keyhole beds in their centers and initially allowed for a 4 year crop rotation, although now we are planting more perennial edibles there.

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Beginning the Celtic Cross Garden:  Summer 2008
Bear removes the sidewalk with a jackhammer.

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It took less than an hour to cut up the sidewalk.
Note the side yard began with all grass.

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The “stones” from the sidewalk can be reused.  

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You need to scrape the mud off the bottom with a wire brush and a hose.

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With the flat side up, the sidewalk pieces
 can become stepping stones for paths.

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Dig out the path and put down a gravel base. We added weed fabric.
Put sand under the “stones” until they are stable & flat.

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Finished path, filled in between the stones with pea gravel:

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Fall 2008:  
Sheet mulching part of the yard to remove the lawn.  See instructions here.

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Spring 2009:
adding the Herb Spiral & digging up the path around it

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Digging sod from the center path:

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Adding gravel to the path:

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Concrete pieces from the sidewalk demolition,
with rough side up, become garden bed edging:

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Adding fines to path (under the rake).  Fines are smaller rocks that create a smoother path on which some people (Theresa but not Bear) can walk barefoot.

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Initial Planting 2009.  Keyhole paths are made of pea gravel.

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Initial planting 2009.  Note seedlings planted directly in sheet mulch:

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Later the first Summer, 2009:

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First Summer, from opposite direction:

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Later Years:

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2010
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2010
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Herb spiral, 2013
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Adding pavers to the keyhole paths, 2013
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Early Spring, 2013
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The long view of our side yard, 2013
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Copyright 2020 by Theresa & Rob Berrie