uptop

Garden Plan

Going forward, we will further strive to engage all as we develop our garden and orchards. A garden plan is in development and once a draft is available, it will be shared with the BOS and all shareholders for review and input. From a recent email to the committee:

The majority of the central part of the main bowl Uptop has been completely cleared- about 80% and counting. I have been able to saw down remaining stumps, and mow brier clean. I estimate the central bowl dimensions are 150 feet wide, by 800 feet long which is about 2.75 acres. In the center, it is really rather flat while sloped, easy to walk and mow, and really cool to hike about right now. There are some draws, wetter areas, etc., but is really is being reclaimed. I am also burning debris so that once cleared, it is ready for any planning.

• Mike Patton and Patty Fabian are working on drawings for us to collaborate around. We might not have a final plan until spring, but we seem to have some consensus on what to include and what we need to decide.

• Key ideas for further discussion:

  • We seem to have consensus on planting pears and apples in the lower half of the bowl next spring. Hopefully we can source some local varieties. Right now, the idea is to start small, about 12 trees, and make sure they have protections from deer and can be watered.

  • There are still two small walnuts in the upper half of the bowl, I would like consensus on removing them.

  • No new plans for grapes at this time, we do have 100 vines that are settling in.

  • We have been able to do some pruning in the orchard, and we hope that we can have a group out in March of 2021 to do more

  • There is a desire to do peaches, Michael suggests full sun for peaches which makes complete sense. This would require us to agree on an orchard site in the upper hay meadow. Proposal will be along south facing slope near back pasture. This may not happen until 2022 or beyond.

  • Mike E. Would like to continue to develop vegetable and crop plans. This might include a raised bed, or plots for sweet corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, and more. When we talked last, I proposed a focus on things Uptop folks can eat when they come out to build more of a connection to the land and what it can produce. Mike also wants to get a spreader for the Club Cadet mower and lime something.

  • We cleared the wood pile that was near the fire pit for the last few years. This has left a dead, triangular patch that could be planted with daffodils and remain lawn also.

  • Frank Yensan brought out some Magic Lily bulbs that I plan to plant along the raised bed going down the farm road where I have been planting wildflowers. The wildflower beds have been pretty successful in getting established. Right now, it looks like many of the perennials are going to make it for next season. This should include Rudbeckia, Echinacea and Lupine.

  • Mike P. Would like to seed some wildflowers around the new Sky observatory. I already have 2 pounds of wildflower seed to try overseeing yet this fall.

  • I have worked in the “Memorial Garden” a bit and planted about 100 daffodils and 25 allium this fall under the maple tree. We need to move the dogwood (1) and lilacs (2) as the walnuts are inhibiting their growth (purchased and planted them years ago).

  • Julie is bringing out some blueberries this week. Where should they go? We have talked about adding blueberries to the bowl garden plan too and it would be nice to designate a block for blueberries and elderberries, etc. Proposal at this time would be to place them in the center-west so they get as much sun as possible but also get a lot of moisture.

  • With the bowl mowed, now is the time to plan the mowing pattern for 2021. Nancy Abram’s first idea is to have concentric rings of walkways that weave together. This could be very cool. We could also have a similar plan for the upper hay meadow as not all of it needs to be mowed mid season. Would like to have a mowing plan.

• Other “Garden Beds” to design:

  • Spring Box bed: currently accessible, but needs work. Could include stone stairs leading to spring box, and since it is highly shaded, some shade tolerant planting might work: astilbe and hellebores would be nice as both are deer tolerant for the most part. Could also have spring bulbs- allium and daffodils.

  • Pond area near house: currently has native wildflowers only (a lot of wing stem) but has a lot of potential as a rock garden. Very shady there, and deer come through there nightly.

Building Plan

Many ideas are on the table for 2021 and include:

• Refurbishing the house additions- the old kitchen and pantry really need to be gutted and rebuilt. Could become a covered porch or remade into bedrooms.

• Cabin refinement and finishing- discussions are occurring on finalizing plans to finish the cabin, inside and out.

• Bedrooms and bath in basement of Big Kitchen- with the tools out of the basement, we can now consider how best to use that space for sleeping.

• Sleeping Cabins- a type of tiny house, these cabins would be designed for individuals or couples to have a comfortable place to stay while Uptop. This would also allow for greater solitude and workspace for those who want to spend more time Uptop but also need some personal space.