January 10
Plans for updating the garden are foremost on my mind right now. I purchased a high tunnel greenhouse that needs to be erected, and the location will be permanent (or at least it will require A LOT of work to move it) so I need to be certain about where I want the combined, larger garden. I need to consider the slope of the land for drainage, sunlight, location of water, and proximity to the canning kitchen. I also need to decide on the orientation of the greenhouse. According to everything I’ve read, if you are using the greenhouse to primarily start seedlings, you want to run the length of our greenhouse North to South for ventilation. If, however, your goal for the greenhouse is to extend your growing season by being able to plant earlier in the Spring and extend it longer into Fall and Winter, then you want to run your greenhouse East to West to take advantage of the southern exposure during your shorter, cooler days. Since I already have the small greenhouse that provides plenty of room for starting seedlings, I am thinking I will build it to run from east to west. If I utilize the area between my house and the kids house, where our smaller garden has been, I also need to consider where the sewer laterals run, for placement. I will be off work a few days later this week, and it is expected to be nice weather. I think I will do some measuring and some trial layouts. I have to make a decision soon, as it will be time to plant early crops in just a few short weeks, and I want to be ready this year.
I have originally considered two locations, each of which has had a previous garden. But the more I think about it the more I am considering a third location. There is a large area behind the house and behind the canning kitchen that might work well. Many years ago there were strawberries planted in that area. There should be no sewer lines, no electric lines, and no water lines to worry about, however the water line runs close enough to easily tap into it to put in a water hydrant. The small green house could be left where it is, as it is not too far away, or it could eventually be moved and incorporated into the garden design. There is a lot of room for expansion, it is fairly level and the blackberries are already growing in that area. So three areas to consider. I need to make a final decision by the end of the week.
The other decision that must be made is what material to make the new raised beds from. I have several options, and am leaning toward galvanized beds. We have built multiple wooden beds and end up having to replace them every 3 to 5 years. The wood is cheaper in the short run, and go together pretty quickly, but I think the galvanized would last much longer, and with the right design, the wooden parts would be easy to replace. I like the natural look of the wood, but the metal will eventually weather and rust, giving the rustic look to the garden that I love. I need to spend the next couple of weeks, figuring out what size beds to make, how many I want to start with, then do some materials pricing and see which way I want to go with the beds. Another decision that needs to be made this week. If anyone knows of any specific pros or cons for raised bed materials in our growing zone (6), please share! I need all the education I can get to make the right decision so I don’t create more work on down the road.
If it isn’t obvious by now, I will readily admit I am having trouble making decisions at this point. Always in the past, I had someone to share the responsibility of the decisions made. I could blame him if things didn’t work out like we wanted, LOL….now I am the only one to blame if mistakes are made or a decision has regret attached. Honestly, I think I fear making a decision, in some ways. I find it odd that I researched lawn mowers and purchased one without hesitation. The same with the new tractor I just bought. Those were a much bigger investment than the garden. I can’t explain why I am having such a difficult time make the decisions about the garden, but I am. I think a part of it has to do with the fact that I know I will need help making this all come together, and I want to make it as simple as possible, with as few things that require someone else’s time and effort as possible. I’m not used to relying on someone else to get things done, and I don’t like that part of this stage of my life. I like being a part of a community, but I do not like being dependent. So I am going to set myself a time limit….I have until Friday to figure out what the plan is for the garden. Today is Sunday….so I have 5 days to get my research done, measurements taken, and make a danged decision! Wish me luck!
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