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Garden Gate:  How do you plan?  |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 12:32:21 PM
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How do you plan the layout of your garden? Do you actually take pencil and paper and chart it out? Or do you just kind of wing it and start planting one day? Or a little of both?
Last year I started out drawing a diagram on some graph paper, but then I only followed it for the first couple veggies and ended up just planting stuff where I felt like it. But my little boy thought it would be fun to go around and pull up my plant markers, so until things were actually up and identifiable, it was a little hard to know what was what. 
One of my problems is that I don't want to rotate my crops! The first section of my garden just SEEMS like it should be where my broccoli and onions are and way at the other end HAS to be corn. It just seems wrong any other way because that's how it was last year. Does anybody else get stuck in that rut? |
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K-Falls Farmgirl
Chapter Leader
2096 Posts
Cheryl
Klamath Falls
Oregon
USA
2096 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 12:45:50 PM
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I draw a diagram on paper, and after reading "Carrots Love Tomatoes" I can plant companion plants together for a better garden.
Cheryl
Farmgirl #309
Klamath Falls "Charming Chicks Chapter" Mother Hen
Almost daily posts at:
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Come visit the barn at http://barndoorcreations.blogspot.com/
You never know when what you say or do will make a difference...Kerry Kennedy
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ruralfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
4309 Posts
Rene'
Prosser
WA
USA
4309 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 2:10:06 PM
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Yep, I am with Cheryl, I always plan my out by drawing a diagram on paper... and since I am following the SQ FT gardener this season, it has been more fun... Oh and since I have some seeds from other farmgirls I have that fun componet as well...... I cant wait!
Rene~Prosser Farmgirl #185
http://farmchicksfarm.blogspot.com/http://renenaturallyspeaking.blogspot.com/
Circumstances made us FRIENDS; MaryJane's has made us SISTERS :) |
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nampafarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
494 Posts
Kim
Nampa
ID
USA
494 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 2:53:26 PM
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I also do a paper layout. I keep notes about this years garden for next year comparison and learn, yeah right, from mistakes , what works , what doesnt, and its good for crop rotation as well. I agree, carrots love is one of my fav's.
Kim
Farmgirl Sister # 302 |
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LoraFLeming
Farmgirl in Training
30 Posts
Lora
Onalaska
WI
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 3:41:21 PM
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I also square foot garden in eight beds that are 8'X 4' and one that is 4'X 3' as well as a 4' wide strip around our property ... a city lot that is kind of small. I find planning is essential to getting as much in as possible, and succession planting (tomatoes go in where radishes came out of etc) One word about crop rotation ... it is ESSENTIAL for a couple of reasons ... pests that love a particular crop will lay their eggs to overwinter where that crop is, so in the spring their "babies" will have food; ie your crops! So if you plant tomatoes or corn in the same plot year after year, the pests become worse because they have a readily available food source there. This is also true of crops in the same family, such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage .. the same bugs love them all! The second major reason is nutrients ... the soil just gets worn out if you keep planting the same thing over and over ... that's why you see farmers plant corn one year and soybeans the next and so forth. And yes, Carrots love Tomatoes is a great book that helps you to know which plants have the same pests and support or hinder each other's growth. I think the USDA has a free publication on companion planting as well ...
"When in doubt, just take the next small step. Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection." Author Unknown |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2009 : 5:01:55 PM
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Leftover graph paper from high school (and it's been a number of years!), a pencil, a good eraser, and companion plant lists.
The other day I was messing around on growveg.com and putting it all in via yard-view - cute little plant photos and I was able to get most of my yard in there - I don't have enough squares on a piece of graph paper for it.
I do rotate my crops. I don't feel like tempting fate - I'd rather err on the side of caution. Plus after last year's bean debacle (turns out pole beans really don't like garlic), yeah.
I do post all my mutations of stuff on my blog though - so I can go back and see what my first plan was for 2007, then what I actually planted, and then photos of what actually did grow and about how much. Especially for when I'm trying to identify what on earth kind of tomato plant that particular one was... Plus my blog's just an easy place for me to put it all, and comes in super handy when I've forgotten where I put my garlic map (still narrowing down which varieties we like and that do well in our soil). It's a weird combo of kids, cooking and gardening among other things - basically just as random as my life. 
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Lanna, mama to three little monkeys |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2009 : 06:48:30 AM
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I plan in my head and I also make sure to rotate where I plant. One year tomatoes will be in one bed, the next in another. I have some things that are permanently placed, like rhurbarb, raspberries and the artichoke, so I plant around those. This year I started some lettuce in a cold frame, first time. Seems to be working I have nice sprouts coming up, even with the threat of cold weather/snow this weekend my little sprouts will be protected.
Anne in Portland
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2009 : 07:19:19 AM
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| OK, it looks like I need to add my paper and pencil into my bag for my roadtrip this weekend so I can work on my garden plan. And be sure I pack an extra-large eraser! I think my problem is that my garden is sooo big, I feel like I need to cover the entire area. If I would just concentrate on a smaller space, I could do it much easier. And I know that crop rotation is important, it would just be so much easier if it weren't! And checking the lists of compatible plants while drawing it out means I end up erasing over and over...But I have lots of time in the car to get my plans laid out, so wish me luck! |
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LoraFLeming
Farmgirl in Training
30 Posts
Lora
Onalaska
WI
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - Mar 05 2009 : 7:39:10 PM
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In the fall I take lots of pictures too for next year's planning ... it helps me remember where things were, how big they got etc ... this helps a lot with flower beds especially, maybe because I'm newer at that and sometimes things get a LOT bigger than I anticipated!
"When in doubt, just take the next small step. Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection." Author Unknown |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2009 : 2:01:07 PM
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I always start out with good intentions, but those intentions seem to fly out the window come actual planting time.
The only things I make certain of are --
1. I rotate my plantings and nothing that hates each other is planted close together (I have the book "Carrots Love Tomatoes" too, as well as "Roses Love Garlic-- GREAT books!)
2. My rows are neat and any started plants are marching in rows like little soldiers
3. I fill up every inch of garden space (like Toni's, our garden is HUGE!)-- and, like EVERY year, I'm cussing at myself for all the weeding I have to keep up with come the hot Summer months!!!
Oh, but those glorious Heirloom tomatoes (which I plant LOTS of-- and in any color but RED!), cucumbers, beets (my NEW passion), beans, peas, squash, watermelon (and sometimes Canatloup) etc... they are all just FABULOUS!! And there's nothing better than homemade spaghetti sauce, pickles and other canned goodies. YUMMMMM..... This is the last "Official" week of Winter in our area. YEAH!!! HAPPY PLANTING LADIES!!! ~~Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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City_Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
509 Posts
Christina
Omaha
Nebraska
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2009 : 6:07:19 PM
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I plan my garden out on graph paper to scale. That way when it comes time to plant I can stake out the areas in the garden and go to town. I have to admit that sometimes it does feel a bit tedious so this year I am only graphing the original rectangle garden to scale and sketching out the two free form ones. Tracy and the other gals are right that it helps when rotating your crops.
I just wanted to add that we fill all of the empty space, especially where we walk, with straw. It helps keep the weeds down and keep the ground moist in the summer. Just make sure it is straw and not hay. My friend didn't know the difference and she had a huge mess in her garden one year.
Christina
Farmgirl Sister #195
City Chick & Friends Chapter Mama
http://justacitychick.blogspot.com/
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5 acre Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1007 Posts
~~~*Terri*~~~
WA.
USA
1007 Posts |
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City_Chick
True Blue Farmgirl
509 Posts
Christina
Omaha
Nebraska
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2009 : 2:57:17 PM
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Terri I can't wait until I have as much experience as you and I just know. Right now I plan and diagram but in the end it is all by the seat of my pants. It will either grow or it won't. My yard is very large but is greatly shaded in both the front and the back. I have limited full sun areas. Do you have any tried and true combos that can survive well in 6 hours of sun or less??
Christina
Farmgirl Sister #195
City Chick & Friends Chapter Mama
http://justacitychick.blogspot.com/
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Garden Gate: How do you plan? |
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How do you plan?
