Tortoise's 2018 garden(s)

[tortoise]

My garden is still covered in snow, but this is my plan! My garden is approximately 1/5 acre. I want to set it up no-till so I'm not relying on the tractor (DH running the tractor). Each proposed permanent bed is 30 feet long and 30" - 36" wide. My planting guidelines are for 30" wide, but 36" was easier to draw on graph paper.

The shaded areas are to be planted with white clover. The big x's on the side are lawn mower access for dumping grass clippings in the vine area.

 

[tortoise]

I am trying a lot of new things this year! I hope some of them are successful

1) homemade seed tapes to make planting physically easier. Also made seeding mats for hill/vine plants with looseleaf paper. I'm not as confident about the looseleaf breaking down fast enough.
2) starting peas indoors so the chipmunks don't eat my seed!!
3) growing tomatoes in rows and staking them Florida Weave style
4) companion planting and intensive spacing to try to shade out weeds
5) plant groundcover rather than tilling pathways
6) scheduling planting and seed starting, I am not sure I will get into succession planting this year
7) planting ALL THE SEEDS to ramp up production for future market gardening / gaining experience for market gardening
8) recordkeeping! <--- completely new venture. Our past style has been to throw down some seed and hope it grows faster than the weeds.

 

[tortoise]

I also have a few other garden projects/areas going on.

I have a lasagna garden forming, atop blacktop. I may plant annuals for roots to hold the "stuff" together. It's not thick enough to plant perennials yet. It may be a few years. DH thinks I am crazy!

I have to start over on a large flower bed area. It was overtaken by weeds last year. Roundup is starting to sound good, but I'm going to try to smother it out one more time with cardboard and compost. I have visions of starting a Pick Your Own flower garden, but I can't seem to make it happen in reality. The only flower I had success with last year was hollyhock. I do love hollyhocks! I saved their seed and hope for exponentially more of them this year.

I am trying to develop more garden areas nearer to my house for more tender plants that need TLC. Last year, free range chickens thwarted my attempts.

I also have plans for 2 out of 3 of DH's livestock food plots! I have mangel beet seed for one and leftover pumpkins, squashes, zucchini seeds for the other. I'm over hoarding old seeds. It ends up costing us money when we buy new packets every year that just sit while we use up even older seed.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

All sounds great - except that recordkeeping business, lol. I would just have to throw in the towel if I had to do recordkeeping too!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It ends up costing us money when we buy new packets every year that just sit while we use up even older seed.

I tossed all my old seeds into a goat garden that I HOPE will actually take root and give the bucks some tasty treats!

 

[tortoise]

All sounds great - except that recordkeeping business, lol. I would just have to throw in the towel if I had to do recordkeeping too!

I would like to transition to organic. The practices aren't terribly different that what we do now, but the recordkeeping is a huge burden. I'm a small enough producer that I wouldn't have to certify as organic. Couldn't use the USDA logo, but could use the word. The recordkeeping requirement is the same though! I'm not keeping *extensive* records this year. I want to track seed quantities, plant spacing, germination rates to refine seed ordering for 2019. Seems like I always end up with both too much and not enough seed! I think I've ordered seed 4 times already for 2018 plus bought seed in stores 3 times. I hve no idea what I'm doing.

 

[sumi]

Your plans sound and look great on paper! I love the Pick Your Own flower garden idea…

 

[frustratedearthmother]

x2!

 

[tortoise]

My dining room. I only have 2 south windows - this patio door and the window over my kitchen sink. I have succulents on my kitchen window sill. The turquoise table is mostly holiday cactus. There's also an Aloe Vera (one recovering from root rot, another rescued from a friend that was frozen, but is growing back from the root now). Some sad succulents jammed in a pot. And a Wandering Jew vine also rescued from a friend.

In addition to wanting a market garden, pick your own flower garden, I also want to raise holiday cactus, African violet, and succulents to sell houseplants. I haven't ventured into African violets yet. I'm working on my skills propagating holiday cactus.

 

[Britesea]

For the seed mats- try paper napkins. They will break down faster