BUILDING THE SOIL
As I mentioned in the previous post (@industriousliv/garden-planning-for-next-year-part-1) I have put down wood chips over the last few months. Now that fall is here, I plan to pick up the leaves with the mower and then empty the bag onto the garden. As I am mowing I also cut the grass in addition to the leaves and hopefully they will also add some nutrients.
PLANTING FOR NEXT YEAR
Next year I intend to build several raised beds on top of the layer of wood chips and the leave/grass mix. Into these I will add a good quality growing medium This should work for any vegetable or herb that just needs a root system. For any root vegetables I will scrape away the layers a little deeper to add the growing medium.
So, scraping away for carrots, potatoes, beets, and radishes. The plants that should be okay just in soil on top of the layers would be my tomatoes, squash, lettuces and cabbages. I may have a separate area away from this garden for my beans. This so I can install a trellis to have the beans grow up into a canopy.
MAKING IT BIGGER
The side lot where the garden is located now still has space available outside the current garden area. Although the plans for that involve fruit and nut trees and maybe the addition of a grape arbor toward the front. Further back near a tree we plan on a seating area and fire pit.
Directly behind the house is also a large area While I may use part of it for a chicken coop, there would still be a lot more space for a second garden. The goal for our little homestead is to provide as much of the vegetables we consume as possible. I think it can be done considering the property is a little over a quarter of an acre. Even though the property has the house on it, there is still a lot left on the back half. These are photos of the area behind the house. You can also see the compost pile which I will talk about in another post along with the chickens and rabbits I wish to raise. Anyway, thanks for reading.
{note: some photos may have appeared elsewhere on my blog previously}