This is Article 1 of the Series on Backyard Farming. Before you start though, go easy on yourself. Leave your dread at the garden gate. We will try to make gardening easy for you. Enjoy getting dirty!
The first thing you have to do is plan your garden. What this means is that you determine where you will be planting. What will be the layout, orientation and planting areas?
Evaluate the area where you are planning to build a kitchen garden or backyard farm. Remember that gardens are ECOSYSTEMS!
Some questions to answer:
- Where are you growing your vegetables? For example, what is the type of soil you have.
Clay-soil may be problematic as it does not drain well. Dry soil close to the sea should also be avoided (except for certain crops that do well in dry soil such as bananas and papayas.) The best soil is loamy soil with a good balance of sand, clay and organic matter. Whatever the soil is, it will always benefit from a lot of compost (Biodynamic Composting.)
- Do you live in the lowlands or highlands? (A list of lowland and highland vegetables to plant will be discussed in the next article.)
- How big is your area?
Plan out the space so your planting area is not too far from your compost pit or water source. Also identify if there is space for a small nursery.
- Is there a slope?
If your area is slightly sloping, make sure that it is not prone to flooding during the rainy season. A steep slope will wash top soil right away. If you have a low lying area where the rainwater collects, consider turning the lowest lying area into a small fishpond or reservoir for water. When you have to garden in a slope, it will be best to restructure the slope into terraces.
THE ESSENTIALS for a KITCHEN GARDEN OR BACKYARD FARM:
- SUN: Almost all vegetables and fruits will need at least 8-10 hours of sun every day to thrive. Pick a place that gets enough sun and make sure it is not too close to existing trees. Trees will place a shadow on your vegetable beds most of the time.
- WATER: Find a place that will allow you easy access to water. During the summer, you will have to water your plants more so you might want to have it closer to the tap or water source.
- SOIL: Good soil will be the most crucial. Where is your best top soil found? You will need to build the quality and structure of your soil with good compost and in our case, biodynamic preparations. One of the most important thing you will have to do is to build healthy living soil.
- PROTECTION: Make sure that it is protected from wind drafts and too much water. As we live in a tropical country, we often suffer from strong winds and heavy rain. These factors should always be considered when planning the garden. For example, if your area is prone to strong winds, it may be best to have windbreaks. These are structures that will slow down the wind like hedges, rows of ipil-ipil trees, bamboo fences, or a net. You can also have bamboo sticks as support for plants. More on windbreaks and protection from rainfall here. Find the area where the water runs if it rains and make sure your beds are not there.
Once you have these questions answered, and have the essentials figured out, it is time to plan what vegetables to plant.
Related articles: Growing your Garden: Composting and Mulching
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