Over the years May Lawn & Home Care Inc. has installed various garden plots and consulted on homeowner installed gardens. Some pointers on garden thoughts:
-Figure out a space that will be close – but depending upon the fence you may not want it front and center. The closer the bounty is to your kitchen or table the more likely you are to use it regularly.
-The second issue is to defend the space. And yes as you plant your garden it will become the most desirable salad bar to deer, rabbits, gophers, elk, etc. Options for a “defense system”(not taking about short range missiles) are motion sensing sprinklers(on occasion you may be the one that gets wet) or a fence. We personally have tried the motion sprinkler system and forgot to turn it on once and most of the garden was leveled in one night. So our from our experience the best is a 6’6″ game fence with a chicken wire wrap at the bottom(buried in the ground about 6”). If you live in a high deer traffic area a taller fence maybe in order. You can use the fence to grow vines, add a decorative gate/arbor, use timber posts and caps, walking paths, sitting areas, lighting, and decorative flower beds for making it more of a architectural part of the landscape.
-Size of the garden depends on the your answers to the following. How many people are you feeding? What plants do you want to grow? Area for expansion? Do you want raised beds? Berry plot? Access between raised beds and other plants? These all affect the size – we have done 10 x 15 to 50 x 50 plots.
-The next step is to figure out if the soil type that you have will grow what you want.  You may need amendments. For example Blueberry plants need peat moss to produce. Root veggies want more sandy composition in soils.
-Water source location. We can extend irrigation systems to include gardens or just add a hose bib.
I will say this much. Growing up my brothers and I made a large garden(with the help of mom and dad). We grew corn, potatoes, carrots, onions. Next door was a camp for road construction workers- we ended up selling produce and made some good money-better than a local lemonade stand. One of the best decisions you can make for yourself and your family when planning and building a landscape is to transform a part of your lawn into a garden area. It will teach and connect as you and your family plant and tend your own food. Some of the most rewarding meals are that of what you have grown.
