sawyer
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Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:01 am
Location: North MS

Help me lay out my vegetable garden

I am new to the vegetable gardening scene but have done some larger scale farming for wildlife (beans, corn, etc...). I have been browsing on here for a while and I am excited about getting my garden started. I am located in North MS (zone 8 ). I need some pointers on the best place to start my garden with the space I have. The picture below may be hard to see but hopefully it's enough to get an idea of my situation. We have two large dogs that I'm afraid will tear up the garden if I put it inside the fence but if that's the best option I may could put up wire fencing around it. I would like to start out with maybe just a 8' x 8' raised bed or something close to that. My initial idea was to put it just East of the house, between the house and the tree line but it may not get enough sun there. I am open to any suggestions. Please feel free to ask me questions if needed to understand my situation better. Thanks for any help you can give.

[img]https://i409.photobucket.com/albums/pp171/wrdabney/Untitled-2.jpg[/img]

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

If you decide to go with raised beds don't make them wider than 4 ft. That way you can tend to the plants from either side without having to step on the soil in the raised bed. I only have one raised bed that I use for root crops and it is 12 ft. long x 4 ft. wide x 1 ft. deep. The rest of my garden consists of five rows 45 ft. long with a couple trellises for pole beans and cucumbers.

As far as location, place your garden where it gets the most sun since many plants like long sunny days, especially in the shorter winter days ahead. From your drawing, it looks like you have close to 30 or so feet inside the 6 ft. privacy fence. These dimensions are similar to my property and my garden does just fine inside my 6 ft. privacy fence.

You also have quite a bit of room toward the south side where the width is 82 ft. You could plant closer to the western edge of your property and the trees shouldn't be an issue unless they are plenty more than your drawing indicates and they are very tall. If you live in Miss. I'm thinking they may be pine trees for the most part so they shouldn't be much of a problem.

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Yes, put it where it will get as much sun as possible. A fence around a garden is a plus. It will keep out the deer, racoons and groundhogs.

sawyer
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Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:01 am
Location: North MS

Thanks for the tips guys. I can't really plant it on the Southwest side. There is a hedgerow there in between my yard and my neighbors. The trees shown on the tree line are mainly oaks, 30'-40' tall. Thanks for the 4' wide tip. That makes good sense. Gumbo, do you have dogs in your fence? If so, do they bother the garden?

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

sawyer wrote:Thanks for the tips guys. I can't really plant it on the Southwest side. There is a hedgerow there in between my yard and my neighbors. The trees shown on the tree line are mainly oaks, 30'-40' tall. Thanks for the 4' wide tip. That makes good sense. Gumbo, do you have dogs in your fence? If so, do they bother the garden?
No dogs at this time in my life, but when I first got together with the lady that is now my wife, she came with a dog and two kids. The dog never bothered the garden for the most part. Every once in a while he would dig around a bit and lay in the cool soil in the summer, but he almost always did so between the rows. When he had to be put down due to health reasons, we swore of any more dogs.

I do have a problem with a neighbors cat that is allowed to roam free. It has taken a liking to my raised bed as its personal litter box, but since the garlic has now sprouted, that has slowed substantially.

Susan W
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Location: Memphis, TN

Welcome to our world!
We are neighbors, and just suggesting our soil, long season, rainfall is excellent for growing most everything. Some of the above need supplements (soil additives, watering etc)
The raised beds no more than 4' is good idea. You can do 8 x 4's easily with landscape timbers. Or you can till, build up etc. I am sure you are tidy and have a weed eater, and with raised beds get the grass around and throw clippings into the bed.
Suggestions for start-up gardens. How many in your household? What do you like? Here you can have some lettuce, spinach, carrots, radish etc early, by June gone in that area and put in bush beans. Most people want a few peppers and tomatoes, go in late April. Okra a no-brainer, goes all summer and into fall.
Just for reference, I'm in midtown Memphis, and grow herbs (fresh cut) for the farmers market, and grow in containers and raised beds. I have my preferences for the beds and containers. In getting to know others growing (MS/TN) learn alot, and nod alot.

Hope this helps.

sawyer
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Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:01 am
Location: North MS

Thanks for the help Susan. It is greatly appreciated. I'm actually from Jackson, TN originally, so just down 40 from you. What will you be growing through the fall and winter? I'm wanting to go ahead and get something planted.



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