Garden Planning and a Record Book

Okay so I lied when I said earlier this year that I wasn't going to be able to work my garden this year. Our plans have changed and we have been presented with an opportunity to stay at our rental house while we take our time looking for our perfect homestead. Due to changes to my husband's job (former military) we have been in a constant state of "we're moving soon" for years now. While recent developments prolong the transition from town to country, I am looking forward to staying put for a while, with nothing hovering over me. It's a grand feeling.

I am beginning to take my little garden more seriously. All my locavore reading has given me a new outlook on my patch of grass and trees beyond. The possibilities are endless. I bought a notebook (made completely from recycled materials) with lined pages and sturdy pockets, perfect for seed packages and magazine articles I find interesting.



Today, after raking up the yard and cleaning it up a bit, the kids and I measured the garden plots. And I was able to make up a schematic of my plans. Right now I have a garden that runs along my shed which is currently filled with Tiger Lilies that I transplanted from the woods behind our house. I want to re-transplant these to a shadier spot and construct cold frames in this area, which measures 12 feet long, 3 feet deep.



My current garden behind the shed is 9 feet by 12 ft. I hope to expand this area to 12 feet by 16 ft. I will need to construct a temporary, yet sturdy fence to keep the deer out. Bambi and her mom decimated my crops last year and gorged on my hard work! In this fenced area I will plant crops that the deer tend to go after, like broccoli, spinach and peas.

There is a slight hill at the very back of my yard, and the plateau gets the best sunlight. Such a shame to waste. I have decided to construct a 4 ft by 11 ft raised bed here. I hope to plant pumpkins along the edge and train them to grow down the slope. I also want to plant corn in this area. Hopefully deer do not like corn as much as they liked my broccoli!

So here's how I devised my plan. Since most items' planting dates vary. Some are planted before the last frost, others are plants around the last frost, some are planted directly outside, others are planted inside. So after deciding what to plant, I went through my Northern Gardener book (bought for a $1 at the library's used book store) and figured out what needs to be planted when. I listed the last frost date at the bottom and then wrote down Week 1, Week 2 etc back up the page. Then I jotted down what needs to be planted during each week, and where (inside/outside). Voila!



Now all I need to do is check the week, and I will know exactly what I need to do in my garden. Oh the cleverness of me! I'm really not this self-centred, only when I experience a Eureka! moment. :)