So I am beginning to think about my garden space for next year. I already know some information thanks to some wonderful locals who have shared info with me during our interactions at the library. I know that we have to use raised beds here, and that hoop houses are ideal for the region due to snow loads and wind. So I'm probably going to start building those raised beds soon and I've been working on getting compost up and running as well, though composting in the winter ought to be interesting. So now I'm looking at plants for our zone and researching what grows well at this altitude. We want some fruit trees, a vegetable garden, an herb garden, and I even just want some pretty flowers to enjoy. I am new to gardening. I had a garden plot once back home when I was like 20, but I didn't really keep up with it as I should. It was also a 15 minute drive to get to my garden plot. I also suck with plants. House plants don't do well with me. I either forget to water everything or I over water everything. So I'm thinking on incorporating some sort of irrigation into the beds. I'm not sure yet.
For now, I am looking up various plans for raised beds. I'm leaning towards using pallets since Uncle Dick brings stacks of them up periodically and we are on a super tight budget at the moment. Right now I'm leaning hard towards these plans.
www.penniesintopearls.com/diy-pallet-wood-raised-garden-beds/
and these plans
https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-raised-bed-garden-box-from-wood-pall/
These plans are super nice as well!
https://smalltownhomestead.com/using-pallets-to-make-raised-garden-beds/
Most likely I'll stick to the second set of plans, but I'm sure I'll make one of each and probably end up with a variety of designs to test our and see which I like best. OOH! I just found plans using logs. I may try at least one of those as well.
I'm also trying to decide how large of a garden do I want? Do we start super small our first year and add a section every year? These are all things that are turning over my head. Do I make the raised beds before I choose my plants or do I choose my plants and then plan my raised beds around what we'll be growing?
I did find this handy guide for planting! So now I'm off to research some heirloom garden seed and see what I want to grow in 2019! (included a link to Mother Earth News best seed catalogs)
Any suggestions? Please comment! I will take any advice I can get!
https://www.ufseeds.com/learning/planting-schedules/Zone-4-Planting-Calendar
