With the world going the way it is, I'd like to grow as much food on my own yard as possible and could use some advice and suggestions on what to do with it.Here's a map of the yard with everything currently growing on it. My current plans are to plant a third row of currants in the eastmost yard, possibly a hedge of chokeberries along the road, and I'm thinking of planting one apple tree in the triangular batch of grass behind the shed. Beside those, the large front yard next to the road is currently entirely unused, so how would you optimize it's usage? Any other tips I should take into consideration?
>>2984178Here's a version without texts, in case you feel like drawing your plans on the map.
>>2984178"As much as possible" involves turning almost everything into vegetable garden and actively working it. It is a lot of work and monetarily not worth it at all unless you are unemployed AND unemployable. If you want mostly passive growing edible things, then that's a different matter.
>>2984178Get a fence. You'll soon find out your suburban home is closer to nature than you thought. Deer will show up and eat everything. Or at least sample everything while leaving pieces just to let you know they were there.
>>2984241I am indeed thinking of converting the whole yard (aside the pool) into a vegetable garden. Work needed isn't that big of a deal actually, because it gives some reason to get out of the house and enjoy the summer while it lasts. I dug up ground and planted 100+ peas last summer, but a lot of them got eaten by snails which is why I'm going to get planter boxes for any non-perennial plants like that from now on. But having the plants grow passively is a bonus, especially if it means the crops that aren't dependent on being able to buy supplies from a store.>>2984265I actually have chain link fences around the yard already, and after last summer's experiments I'm upgrading the lower half of them to a finer mesh to keep rabbits away too.
>>2984323Deer can jump clean over any fence shorter than 8ft and even the 8ft one they can still do in a pinch.
>>2984380Deer regularly walk around the house, but none have ever entered the yard. I wouldn't be too worried about them.
>>2984411I mean around the property, not the building. They stay outside the fences.
>>2984179Orchards produce more food per square foot than any other plant. The caveat is that it takes 5-8 years for the trees to start actually producing any fruit, so it might be too late for that already.
>>2984411You probably dont have enough food to interest them yet then. Once you do, they WILL become a menace unless you have very tall fences and/or an active dog that loves to chase them.
Not OP, but my parents have a small garden with a fence around it like pic rel made from these green posts and wire. The problem is they want me to fix their gate and I have no idea how. The gate they made was a simple wood frame with wires embedded in the center. The issue is they had nothing to secure it to except one of these green posts, but turns out these things can't handle much weight. Fine for light wires but not a heavy door since they bend and wobble every time you open/close it. So now the gate is sagged and tilting and starting to damage the rest of the fence.I'm gonna have to take the gate apart and secure it, but how? Is there a simple way that doesn't involve like pouring cement into the ground?
>>2984178
>>2984178I'm doing something similar. I plan to install 4 fruit trees and I'm not sure how to place them if you guys have any adviceI was thinking two on the north edge at the east corner, one on the east end somewhere, and one along the south edge on the east side
>>2984852Nvm I was over-complicating it. Turns out people can bury large timber posts just fine without anything fancy. I just need a heavy wood post deep enough and lighter wood for the gate
Apparently aronia is more recommended for hedges in Finland, so I got everything in order to plant aronia bushes all along the outside fence of the yard. That should provide dozens of kilos of edible berries each year with little maintenance needed.I'm also leaning towards another plot of strawberries on the southwest side of the house, because the northern plot alone has been providing surprisingly bountiful harvests during summers already. Also, as peas collect nitrogen from the air and strawberries consume it, planting peas in the same plot with the strawberries seems like such a no-brainer I'd like to know why everyone isn't doing it yet. Is there a reason not to mix the crops, especially when it would make them seemingly self-fertilizing?
>>2984864I'd put as many trees against the north side of the yard as possible, so they won't shade anything in your own yard. After that, I'd pu the rest simply where they don't shade the garden or each other. Just remember to leave them about 2m away from the house and other buildings with sturdy foundations, as their roots will shift the ground underneath them.
>>2984178>currants>berries>applesThese are not food, these are snacks. You cannot sustain yourself on this. You need to grow real food, like potatoes, squash, cabbage, beans, etc.Maybe also set aside some space for a chicken pen for meat & eggs, plus grow a little bit of corn or sunflower to feed them.
>>2987703Kale is another good one, it's super hardy and nutricious. You want to plant yourself some peasant food. Kitchen herbs are also both useful and often hardy perennials. Shelter them by the side of the house. (if you plant mint make sure that shit is in planters for containment)You can also get mushroom kits for the indoors and mushrooms are great. You can forage for them too, but it's nice to have a controlled supply.
>>2984178Get rabbits.
I'm struggling with what to do with my small space. Previous owners put in a small seating area with plants around it and a planter.
>>2984178Gentlemen, rev up your shed folders. Another path has hit the house.
What about the blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and gooseberries? I think you really need to add more fruit anon.
>>2987757plan out small blocks and develop the soil, then expand as you learn what sort of pathing/layout is actually good. plant some easy to grow (but not landscaping tier) annuals that you know you like and then you'll get inspired from there tbqh. you could even start in growbags or similar mobile containers to see what you like to do, without the commitment. the only wrong way to go about it is being too scared to do anything at all and wasting years that you could be having fun planting
