An impending decision
While I have enjoyed the experience of our first year vegetable plot, I am pondering the decision to move it from the donated site to my back yard for next year. There are two primary factors leading to my questioning the current setup.
1) Distance – while it is not very far away – 10 minutes maximum by car, it is still a bit to go over there do our thing and then come back
2) Maintenance – with the homeowners being busy with their own projects/situations, it is not reasonable to expect them to perform any maintenance. With my limited visits, work doesn’t get accomplished in a timely manner.
That said, it does have its advantages primarily plenty of space and super fertile soil.
If I were to relocate it to my back yard it would have a cascading impact on my yard and how I use it.
I could just plant in the back in the empty space – but that would be quite small. How small? I have to measure.
I could take out some of the sun perennials and move them to the front of the house. This would give me more space for food production. It would also take a great deal of effort and negate about seven years of work/growth.
Additionally should I move more plantings to the front, it would restrict the space I have for a rather complex Halloween display that has been a passion the last five years, though the Halloween bug may have run its course.
This is a difficult decision. Stay tuned.
September 2, 2010
>good luck, since I don't know what your yard looks like, I can't offer much help, if I were doing it I would take into consideration the things you have stated, I'd think to myself about:
putting flowers in the front yard for aesthetics from the road, vegetable gardens are nice to look at but what about during their dormant periods?
also, how easily can you reach your vegetable garden, it's good to be able to easily get to it and not have it in a corner somewhere you never go.
stuff that takes less fussing with can more easily be planted further from your normal tramping grounds, and stuff that needs more tlc should be where you are going to be going anyway.
Yeah, I know this is all common sense stuff, just wanted to put in my two cents 🙂
~KP
September 2, 2010
>David, are you familiar with square foot gardening? It's a different take on garden layout/maintenance that takes up less space. Look for the book of that name. When I have gardened that has been my approach.
Here's another approach to small-space gardening that was featured in our local paper. This dude found the idea on a survivalist blog, lol! A lot of effort on the front end, but sounds like it works.
http://www.pjstar.com/mysource/food/x242419387/Gardener-finds-solution-to-weeds-critters-and-more-PVC-pipe?img=2
–Lisa
September 11, 2010
>Thanks KP – all good points. I am lucky, my yard is very very small so where it is other than "front or back" really makes no difference, I am always close to all of it.
September 11, 2010
>Thanks Lisa, SFG is one alternative I am considering. I have a freind who has been very successful doin this. I may emulate him.
Thanks for stopping by!