Well after re-reading a portion of the book, I have been back to the drawing board. LW suggests that 6 domes (each dome approx. 4m in diametre) will provide adequate food for a family of 4 all year around. So I wanted to maximise the use of our property a little better. I have now grouped the garden beds in groups of four where possible (except for the two long rows where there is a terraced area) which is very similar to the large size dome she discusses. I have ended up with almost 5 domes worth of coverage and a pretty good flow between the beds. The front yard of our house actually has a large area that can be used as well (I probably won't put the chooks up there - or maybe I could??).
The front will be used for sunflowers, tomatoes, all the herbs (herbs will also be companion planted in the lower section as well if needed) and grapes.
I am just a bit unsure how often to move the chooks since the plan would be to move them every 2 wks using 12 chooks for each dome size. I will only have 3 - hopefully they will still do the job and I will just need to move them more frequently to prepare the garden beds for planting into. I have decided to curve the edges of the beds when it comes time to planting into - both from an aesthetic angle as well as ease of picking.
So, here is the new plan - this afternoon I went down and measured out exactly where the fruit trees are (and was kind of pleased to see that my guestimates were only out by about 1/2 a metre, so minimal tweaking required).
Suggestions welcome!
3 comments:
It sounds really exciting and innovative. I can't wait to see how it all turns out in practice.
I'm so envious! I have to come out and see it in the flesh, um, in the green ;>
Have you read Living the Good Life by Linda Cockburn? I read it today (no children!) and thought of your plot. I can see you doing the same thing in a few years time. You'll have a goat too by then of course ;>
Anoushka, no I haven't read that book - have heard of it though. It would be great to meet you - when I have it up and running lol. Hey, PM me through TNN if you want and in Spring we should hook up for a visit.
Melanie, yes, it's all about in practice isn't it lol! Of course, as Anoushka had a wonderful quote about a garden not being successful first time around - I'm keeping that in mind to fall back on if needed! Of course, it IS going to be successful hehe.
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