Small Garden’s Plan 2018

Small Garden mammoth beets, calendula, tall top beets, celery, parsley, cukes August 2014

This post is about the Small vegetable garden for this year. I have done a post on the Big vegetable garden https://steemit.com/gardening/@goldenoakfarm/big-garden-s-plan-2018
and will be making one on the New Herb garden later on. These gardens provide enough food for our family of 3 for a whole year.

I make the plan on the GrowVeg program as it keeps track of where each plant family has been for the last 3 years. It gives a warning if you try to put something in that area. For a clearer picture go to:
https://www.growveg.com/garden-plans/871585/

I then transfer it to graph paper, as that survives best when taken to the garden for planting.

Small Garden Kabocha squash in the shade August 2011

This garden measures 36’ North-South and 30’ feet East-West. It is oriented due North-South. It gets partial sun from morning until evening. There are trees along its north and west sides that shade part of it during the day.

The north side trees got so tall that in 2011 we moved this garden as far south out from under them as we could. They are still a problem and I hope to take down one of them this year and prune back the ones on the west side.

Small garden ready to plant April 2017

The soil is sandy river bottom loam. It is tested each November when everything has stopped growing. I put the custom amendment mix down as I plant as the entire garden is kept mulched.

Small Garden tomatoes and horehound August 2015

I have rotation problems as I only have the 2 gardens. Each year this garden either has tomatoes and peppers or it has squash in its east side. Those areas get enough sun for those plants and I use the partially shaded areas for plants liking cooler temperatures.

Small garden - kale, peas, celery, dill, onions June 2017

Last year I tried pea fences for the first time and they were a great success. This year there will be 4 rows of peas in the above space.

Small garden mulched for winter, raspberry plot front right

There are no perennials planted in this garden, but the Anne raspberries have a plot on the southwest corner.

There are also a Candy Stripe mountain laurel, a white hibiscus, and a large rose bush I got from BuyNothing along the west side.

I include flowers in the plan, mostly as either companion plants or pests deterrents.