I've been looking at my simple garden layout and thinking about what has worked well in which beds, what has failed miserably, and figuring out the why of it all.
I developed this layout initially to keep track of my perennial stock; to determine which plants I had in which beds. As I moved the perennials out, I thought this chart would help me determine simple crop rotation for vegetables. That didn't work because I tend to use any open spot as a perennial holding area for new plants, plants I've started from seed, or plants that need a specific growing condition that I haven't prepared yet, thus throwing my rotation plans into chaos. So what other uses might this chart have? How about light, and where to better plant specific vegetables according to their need for sun or shade?
This chart is situated as though I'm standing at the bottom of the hill, in the entrance. The top is fairly west, the left is fairly south, the bottom fairly east, and the right fairly north. It's not exact, but it's also not evenly split. The left side of the garden is shaded by the large trees of the forest garden from around noontime to three or four o'clock, then it's hit with full sun for a few hours until sundown. The right side of the garden gets pretty much full sun all day. Using this information, I can determine which vegetables will do better in which beds. Well, you would think, anyway. Last year I tried growing lettuce in the old tub at the very bottom left, and it was a massive failure. Likewise, radish and cabbage in the far upper left did almost nothing. I'm not sure if it was light conditions or if the soil was missing something, but I may revamp those beds altogether and try again.
Since adding the hay ring in the center, I've been frustrated by the way one side of whatever I've planted at the base of the ring - peas, cucumbers, or pumpkins - grows better than the other. I've been thinking of adding more trellises in the hillside garden for vining vegetables, and thought...gee, do the trellises need to be a certain position for optimal output? Well, duh, young Skywalker, they sure do. The hay ring is positioned east to west; that is, walking through the open center you are moving east to west, with plants on the north and south sides. In this situation, one side gets more sun and grows faster and better than the other. Trellises should be positioned north to south, so they get the full benefit of light on both sides as the sun traverses the sky. I'd like to add vertical trellises (and possibly arched) for cucumbers, peas, and possibly some smaller squash varieties. My beds are all lined so that if I start in one row and bend a trellis up to the next row for arched, they should work great, with the open center running north to south and veg planted on the east and west sides. If I go with just a vertical wall type trellis the length of the beds, I already know that works because I've done that in the past with a small piece of hog panel.
My next thought is that if add trellises, I need to know which beds will best lend themselves to the potential shading of afternoon sun from the vining plants. A quick check on "what vegetables benefit from afternoon shade" led me down a rabbit hole of confusing information. The internet. At once the most and least helpful informational tool. So what do I know to be true? I know cool season crops need sun but don't thrive in heat, and many can be coaxed through the summer by providing some cooling shade.
Armed with this information, I'm now going back to my trusty seed box to take stock of what seeds I have on hand, which ones need to be scrapped due to age, which can be started inside, which can be direct sown, and what plants I'm better off letting the garden center start for me.
Who says gardening in northern climes stops when the beds are buried under snow?
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