A Gardening We Go.

So my Ralexwin and I have decided that we want to plant a vegetable garden in our awesome backyard this year. We know we can grow things back there because we already have a plethora of fruiting plants already. If you hadn't been a reader when we bought this place I'll recap for you. In my yard I have:

Raspberries
Strawberries
Rhubarb
Grapes
A Pear Tree
A Mulberry Tree
A Walnut Tree
A Crab-Apple Tree

And apparently some Marijuana... well I guess it's not really Marijuana it's Hemp which isn't the same and for any FDA workers who might be reading this I didn't plant it and I've been trying to get rid of it as it's a rather obnoxious weed.

Anyway back to our vegetable garden.

We know nothing about planting things. We have never ever done this before and although we have a friend who is going to help us she's not much more advanced (she says) than we are.

So here's our map we made last night:
Tell me what you think and if you garden tell me if I've done anything horribly wrong. I need suggestions here since I'm new at this. Oh and the circle in the middle we were still working on what to put there. I don't think the space that we've allotted is as big as Ralexwin seems to think but when the snow finally melts we'll get a better look.

Enjoy your day.

Comments

Anonymous said…
You guys are awesome. What a nice map. I never put that much time into planning my garden and it shows. The year before last i never did get it planted. I always regret not doing a good job with my garden. I love fresh veggies. Nothing at the store is as good as something that came from the garden. I always wonder what things taste like fresh that i can't grow here. Like nuts and celery and stuff like that. Maybe they taste better than what i know and already like.
I do have one question though: When will you guys have time to weed????
Cannwin said…
Over the summer it shouldn't be to bad and theirs all kinds of info online on how to keep down weeding. But it's something to think about. I have found that I really like being outside in my yard (in summer) so I don't think I'll mind to much.

Nuts aren't worth the effort... The walnut tree we have drops them all the time and they come encased in this big shell that's oil is strong enough to stain wood (so your hands don't fair so well even trying to open just one) in fact they suggest running it over with a car to get it open. THEN after you've opened it to discover said nut inside you have to dry it out long enough for the nut inside to dry out but short enough that it doesn't go rancid. AFTER that you have to get the thing cracked open which is a lot more effort than a store bought nut. So we tried that for about 5 minutes last summer. Maybe I'll try again this next year. Maybe
Anonymous said…
O.K. no nut trees for me then. Holy Cow, too much work.
IB said…
Hello Cannwin,

Can you give me some kind of sense of direction of the garden. You know, which end is South etc? Some plants need more sunlight then others, etc. Also, some plants are cooler weather so you may want to plant them earlier etc. so, you may want to consider that too. Lots of good info on-line about organic gardening. Later today (after about 12:00 noon (EST) check out my blog for interesting links to some cool "how tos"

IB
Cannwin said…
Hmm lets see I have to think about this... North would be at the bottom near the green veggies but of course that is easily changed since we haven't planted anything. the location of the plot would be this little spot in our yard that the previous owners had a kennel on... they quite literally took the cement with them when they moved (cement and fencing and all) so there's already this open patch dug into the ground with accompanying path from our porch. it is snuggled between our extremely large pear tree and one of our two raspberry patches.

Does that help?
IB said…
Hmmm, north, is at the bottom you say? OK I gotta spin my laptop...There.

I would suggest you run the crops that need the most sunlight (tomatoes, peppers, corn) parallel to the southern border of your plot. Put the corn behind the peppers/tomatoes so the stalks don't shade the plants that'll need the most amount of light to ripen the fruit. Also plant the corn in a minimum of two rows as they need to cross-pollinate.

Cool weather crops like broccoli, lettuce and root crops (onions, carrots, potatoes, etc can be put north and even in some shade. They are also the veggies you will want to put in the ground earlier as hot weather will make them "bolt" (go to seed) before the yield is ready to harvest.

Also, companion planting (planting beneficial crops next to each other) is a good way to help control pests. If you've got the room, you might want to plant some garlic near the tomatoes to help keep down insects that will damage fruit.

Hope this helps-

Have fun!
Cannwin said…
it helps a lot! thanks. I feel like a blind man with this gardening stuff.
IB said…
I just realized my comment about the south side of your plot assumes you have good southern exposure. If not put those light-loving plants in the area that gets the most sunlight.

:)
Lisa said…
Oh, I'm so jealous. I love gardening. It's so fun to eat stuff from your yard.

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