Geeking out on planning

As you can see from the time stamp, i got a little wrapped up with planning this evening.
   I've worked out my master plan for our house by laying a sheet of tracing paper over my detailed drawing of the lot. Check it out:

 My goal is to have the 3 raised 4'x12' vegetable beds, the keyhole bed and the herb spiral installed this fall for spring planting.  The 3-bin composter should be built in the next week or two. 
  The herb spiral and keyhole bed are my permaculture 101 projects.  If you're interested in learning more about them on your own you can google-wack them, or stay tuned for future posts.
  I'll be taking cuttings from the fig trees in February for fall planting next year.  The worm bin is a spring project and i'm percolating my thoughtscicles to remedy my drainage problems.

I also got cracking on my crop plan for the raised vegetable beds.  The 3 beds subdivide into 6 plots so i can implement the 6 bed rotation i worked out for my ma's house.  I'll be using the Square Foot method in these beds like we do over at mom's.  It's pretty exciting to see how much variety you can grow in a relatively small space.  If all goes well, the front yard should keep us well supplied with fresh food from April to November.  Here's the planting plan for next spring:

 


Thats packing:

• 12 cucumbers
• a plethora of mustard greens
• 4 squash plants
• 6 broccoli
• 48 pole beans
• 92 bush beans
• 46 soybean plants
• 27 leeks
• 12 celery
• 96 storage onions
• 48 sweet onions
• 108 scallions
• 24 garlic bulbs
• 12 tomatoes
• 12 pepper plants
• 54 shell peas
• 54 snap peas

into 72 sq.ft. of space.

Am i biting off more than i can chew?
Better start practicing my mastication technique.

That's all i got. Backyard Beddies to beddy-bye.

making plans

   The fall planting season is upon us and I'm running a bit behind. 
   In addition to my experiments at our new house, I'm also working with my Ma to maximize production in her garden.  Over the years we've put in 6 raised beds that consistently produce, plus a double-dug bed by the front door, the landscape island where she grows cucumbers, and a spot on the other side of the front door where she's been growing tomatoes.  With the tremendous help of Stepfather Steve, we've begun work on 5 hexagonal keyhole beds in the backyard as well. 
  While we've attempted to grow our plants in different places in the 6 raised beds over the years, we've never really kept good records about what grew where, what varieties were grown and which ones produced the best.  After taking the Organic Growing Class at Cane Creek Farms through Georgia Organics, I've realized the importance of good record keeping for the micro-farmer (a term I prefer to "gardener").
    That being said, I post a plan for your perusal.  Any ideas or insights would be most appreciated.

There's that.
    I planted some snap peas, kale and broccoli yesterday, but I haven't even ordered our garlic yet.... I'm a bad kid...  here's hoping catastrophic climate collapse extends the season for me.

   As far as our house goes, I'm still working on the plan, brain-hurricaning and daydreaming, but I have my practical side as well (thanks mom) so I've measured our lot and created a drawing to work from:

i think the measurements around the berry bushes in the back may be a lil wonky.

   So now you should have a basic idea of what I'm working with...which is pretty much what I have too.

p.s.  hopefully we'll get a cheap camera this weekend and i'll be able to post pics of projects i've been working on recently. woohoo!