I have plenty of time to think about next year's garden. Right now we use the plot as a fire pit.
So, I'm asking everyone for help and tips and ideas on how to build my garden.
The dimensions are 24 feet wide by 28 feet deep. That's huge! We have all kinds of animals that roam the area such as deer, groundhogs and voles so we need some sort of protection to keep them out. I considered leaving a small area for them to feed off and so that I can watch them
How do I build this?
What should I plant? What plants grow well next to each other?
I think one of the first considerations is whether the garden is going to be raised, or sit on the ground. A raised garden provides a few advantages - less pests, less weeds, less bending over when harvesting etc. Some years back I went nuts digging up a large section of my front yard - getting all the grass and grass roots out, mixing up the soil and making a nice big semi circle around it with brick and rows in-between. I killed the grass growing just beside it and started planting my veggies and grains in small pots to be transferred to the rows once they were big enough.
Problem was - the grass around my brick wasn't deterred by a little poison, it grew back and the roots went under my brick perimeter. I later discovered that in order to do this properly - I needed to dig a small trench around 6 inches deep or so around the whole area, and fill it with something grass roots couldn't use - like sand. Big learning experience - and I had wasted a ton of time only to see my garden eventually over run with grass.
Familiarize yourself with growing seasons for different plants. Ya'll in the north are going into winter in a few months - so it'll be a wasted effort to plant tomatoes right now.
I don't know the answer to your wildlife problem - that's not an issue I have where I'm at - but I'm guessing raised sections might help curb at least some of them.
Here are some tips I've learned:
Compost bin. This is for organic scrap material that you'd normally throw away. The minerals are left behind and can be used to enrich your soil.
Unless you want to start buying fertalizer or use poop from farm animals that smell - start saving your urine. It contains NPK and is great for plant growth. Apply directly to soil (not plants - will burn) - can be applied to plants if diluted to 10 percent in water.
Start saving your eggshells - these are broken up into small pieces and they deter certain pests like slugs and snails that will eat your plant leaves.
- eggshells can also be powdered and added to soil - they are super rich in calcium!
You might consider getting your soil sampled to see what can be done to improve it - what minerals might be lacking, for example.
Start with veggies that are easy to grow to help you gain confidence. I started with potatoes. They are easy.
