Master Plan: Garden!

Note: If you haven't already read Master Plan: Backstory, I would recommend it. While not essential, it will give a little more, well, backstory for this post

THE MASTER PLAN

Step 1a. Find a house with an RV pad! Yes, yes, I realize that RV pads have not changed and are still the boon to yard lovers. However, they are also the boon to weeds and are a stable basis for building a structure, and therefore will be utilized to the greatest extent possible. As we will be moving into RV manufacturing heartland, finding a property with a pad ought to be easier than finding one without.

Step 1b. In the unlikely event that an RV pad is not available, we will dig out and level an adequate portion of the property. This is subsequently prepared for pavers, leaving space for beds described below.

Step 2. Have pallets of cinder blocks delivered. The blocks are to be arranged in approximately 3x12 foot beds, about 2 feet high, with three foot walkways between. Whether these ought to be cemented together or not will depend greatly on whether or not they are set on concrete or gravel/sand. A few 3x3, 3x6 or 3x9 beds may also come into play depending on the space.

Step 2b. In the event we do not have a large expanse of cement to work with, we will pave the spaces between beds with large cement pavers. I believe the ones we looked at were 8x16. One paver-width will surround the entire garden area so that weeds have a much more difficult time getting a foothold, and we have a nice clean edge to mow up to. Also, without the RV pad, we would need to prep the area under the beds with chicken wire to keep burrowing marauders away from my veg. In either scenario, dealing with the weeds that come up between pavers, under and between cinder blocks, etc are easily removed or killed.

Step 3. Notice the recurrance of 3's and multiples thereof, in Step 2. This is on purpose. :) The reason, is that supports will be place at exactly three feet apart, all through the garden. The actual measurements of the beds and walkways will be slightly different depending on how we set up the support system.

Step 4. Build a modular system of support, trellis, and covers. These will lock into the supports and give us the utmost versatility in planting and crop rotation. This, is what makes our plan so amazing, so I will elaborate at the end.

(fill beds with planting medium. This is a natural assumption and does not deserve a step of it's own, however, it will happen at this point in the process.)

Step 5. Once the beds are filled with soil, a system of perforated pvc pipes will be laid out at exactly 1 foot intervals for watering, with a main shutoff at the source, and valves for each bed. Depending on how it goes, there may be additional valves in the beds so that we can turn off the water for areas that are not actively being used. In addition to effective drip watering, this will be the basis for our continued use of square foot planting methods.


Cinder block beds are not unusual, drip watering is not unusual. What is different about our plan is the support system. This started when we saw a different type of yard fencing that used 4" livestock fence, with redwood frames around it. Secure enough for pets and kids, but providing lots of visibility. Then, a friend of the family extended an invitation to her house, where we noticed she used the same style of framed livestock fence as garden trellis. It was just as attractive on the end of a bed as it was at the end of a yard.

From there, we decided, that if we exchange the heavy and expensive redwood for light and cheap pvc pipe, we could extend the sides into legs and set them into larger pvc supports or off-the-shelf pipe brackets. By making the trellis legs exactly three feet apart, we could attach them at any end, side section or even over top of a bed. It could also be temporarily covered with a sheet or other like item and used as a shade for cooler weather crops like lettuce.

After watching snap peas overtake our six foot stakes this year, we thought it would be nice to be able to attach a "roof" piece between two parallel trellis pieces and provide more growing room. This would also be framed livestock fence. Lightbulb moment... rather than letting the peas (or whatever) grow over the bed, why not let them grow over the walkway! Of course, we may still want them over the bed, so the same roof piece needed to fit both locations; hence the three foot support system.

As native Oregonians, we understand that a midwest growing season is going to feel incredibly short. Intellectually, anyway. In preparation for that, I decided that those special roof pieces ought to be able to connect to shorter supports that would allow me to cover them in inexpensive plastic drop cloths, and create little hoop houses over my garden. Naturally this extension of the season will minimize the amount of space dedicated to starting seeds indoors, as well as extend harvest into the fall. Watering will not be an issue because the system is already in place under the hoop!

Contrary to the midwest, western Oregon does not have snow to speak of. It is my understanding that snow has a tendency toward being heavy. Having Midwest-quantity of heavy snow on top of my garden soil is likely going to compact it into uselessness; maybe within the year. Fluffy soil is a gardener's friend. It absorbs water without getting soggy, and doesn't provide an obstacle for healthy roots. Therefore, snow on soil is not a gardener's friend. Since I already had modular hoop houses, I didn't see any reason why the roof pieces could not be supported just above the soil to prevent snow pack. How easy it would be to brush off even very wet and heavy snow from a flat plastic coated surface? Since the whole area is on concrete, I don't even have to get my boots muddy! And, if midwest snow is as light and breezy as I am led to believe, I won't have to do a darn thing, it will just blow away with the next gust.  Mwahaha! There is nothing much like feeling as though one has conquered the winter.

The last thing that the modular system would allow for is mobile seating. We would be able to make a bench that spans the 3 foot walkway and attaches directly to the existing trellis supports. A three foot wide bench would be plenty wide enough for two people, one person plus a harvest basket, etc. It could also provide temporary shade for potted flowers or herbs in the heat of the summer.

Finally, after any number of seasons, the soil will be worn out. The final season, we plant root veggies there. As we dig out potatoes, onions, garlic, yams, turnips, beets and carrots, we pull out the soil too. My hope is that once we get into the swing of it, we can rotate at just the right rate that we remove the soil from one bed per year and produce enough compost to replace it. The exeption would be, of course, crops which do not get removed, like artichoke and asparagus. These would probably get top dressed with compost and worm castings. Still not sure how to combat compaction, but I guess a little more education, and Mother Nature will take care of that.