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History of Gwen's Garden

Gwen's Garden is on the Double K Ranch in the Heart of the Texas Hill Country. This is near Bandera TX, the Cowboy Capital of the World !

The Double K Ranch was established in 2001 with one cow & six Boer Goats on the side of Smoothing Iron Mountain. That was most interesting because we learned that the goats we produced & sold at auction went to feed third world countries ! After going fallow to let the land rest, we began raising feeder calves. In 2014 we added Laying Chickens, and this year we added Ducks & Honey Bees !

We always wanted Gardens, but we are on caliche & limestone. We could not grow anything but native grasses for the livestock.

Eventually all our kids graduated and left home, which left us with a very large 24 foot diameter above ground swimming pool. After a season of cleaning it - but not using it - we ripped it out and started building raised beds for the garden we always wanted. Our first crop in 2012 produced cantaloupes, watermelons, zucchinis, & cucumbers. We now have 18 raised beds for fruits and veggies, plus various planting areas for herbs.

This has not been easy. I had to learn about good soil, plant pH levels & healthy nutrients, how to control pests without pesticides, composting & mulching, companion planting, and crop rotations. Then, it was learning which seed varieties to use, which to start indoors, which to sow outdoors, and when to do the seed starting. Then, when the crops started producing, I had to learn when & how to harvest, and then how to preserve the harvest. I still learn something new every day !

Here is the ranch house at Double K Ranch ! You can see Gwen's Gardens on the right side of the house in the back yard !

Here is a close up of Gwen's Gardens ! You can also see the two Chicken Coops that house our Ladies at night !! They are covered with green shade cloth for our Ladies !

Here are a few pictures from the Double K Ranch ! Wild geese in Pasture 1, a deer grazing in our front yard, the cows eating their protein dinner, and Precious, the very first calf ever born on the Double K Ranch !