Garden Plan

Funder asks some good questions about type of beds I will be using, raised, rows, etc. She's good like that, always pushing for me to have some sort of answer.

The honest answer is we're still planning. We have several different areas that we plan to cultivate and I imagine we'll use a combination of methods.

Here is the general plan. The main garden is a graded circle about 2800 SF with a seasonal spicket piped to the middle of it. My property is basically on the side of a hill, so as you go east, you go downhill. Since the garden is east of the house, it's about 10 feet lower than the house. The previous occupants terraced a section and planted berries. We will keep some of the berries and plant melons as well.

Looking down on the main garden.

Better view of the garden "disk"

Looking back at the house, note the terraces.

The main garden will be home to the vegetables and I am not sure if I will use rows or a more radial style of bed.

The herbs will be in a patch closer to the house and will likely be raised beds. The greenhouse will be just east of the house, and easy access to the bulkhead to the basement. Our basement has a concrete floor and is very dry. It also has a basin and work areas to process and preserve the produce. So produce will enter the house via the basement so proximity to the bulkhead is important.

Behind the greenhouse and further down the hill is where the chicken tractor will make its rounds once the broiler chicks are old enough to get out of the back half of the greenhouse, their brooder. I will also chicken tractor the areas of the main garden which will be planted in late May or June.

This is the first stage. There's an additional acre of lawn/lightly wooded area up front which can be reclaimed and put into some sort of production. I am trying to keep the "curb appeal" of the house and not add gross buildings, animals, or other which will anger neighbors. There's plenty of space, so no need to use the parts near the street.