Our Plot

Our plot is probably about 200 square meters and on a south/west facing hillside.  I was initially a bit worried about not getting morning sun, as most of the other plots are south facing, but there is plenty, especially because it has been terraced into 4 levels.  The entire area is pretty high up compared to downtown Zurich, so I am more worried about wind at this point.  I will have to see how fast the snow melts away in the spring.

after clearing up the weeds,mulching and trimming back bushes

I am so used to gardening with hardiness zones that the whole situation has baffled me here.  Internet searches in German yield nothing, and most Germans have old fashioned ways of remembering when to plant things. (when -fill in the blank- blooms, or at Easter or at Pentecost etc.)  My best guess is that our last frost date in spring is in the middle of April (update mid May) and the first frost is mid-end of October.   Our wintertime lows would probably put us in zone 6b, but this is actually a moot point, because it is based only on winter temps, which are relatively mild here.  The biggest factor I think is that our summertime HIGHS are much lower than zone 6b in North America.  Leafy greens seem to do really well here in the summer while the nightshades seem to struggle. I am pretty sure Melons are not even worth trying as we rarely get temps above the 80's.

apple tree, unidentified variety, small but delicious!

left(west) side with pathway to the hut, currant bushes and raspberries

late planted greens and radishes under cover and rain barrel

our hut and the neighbors hut in the background

Our plot is pretty overgrown, but I actually kind of like the natural feel of it. Plus, it provides us with a bit of privacy in the back part. Don't tell our neighbors that, they seem to think we should tear everything overgrown out!  I think eventually the front half will be only raised beds and pathway and the back half will be grass, flowers  and bushes to relax next to.  We border right up on forest, so needless to say there are trees and such creeping in from behind.  We are allowed to clear 1 meter behind our plot, but that is the least of my worries.