Desperate for any help or advice anyone would be able to give

Hello!

I’m looking for advice from people far more experienced than me. I live in British Columbia, Canada, between Hope and Yale. I believe this puts us roughly in zone 8b, though I’ve seen it listed as 7b – 8a depending on the source.

I’ve attached photos of my yard. I have a lot of space to work with and absolutely no idea where to start. We’re fully surrounded by tall trees, get heavy rain year-round, and spend over half the year with very little direct sunlight. Temperatures range from about -20°C in winter to +45°C in summer, though our average is closer to -1°C to +22°C.

Our soil is very compacted, sandy on top and almost entirely clay underneath. We’ve had no success growing anything directly in the ground, including grass (we’ve tried seed twice with no luck), so I’m fairly confident raised beds will be necessary.

What I’d like to work toward:

·         Fruit trees

·         Raised garden beds (steel, some with trellises)

·         Native plants and lots of herbs

·         Making good use of the space long term, with a strong focus on perennials and plants that work well together in our area

·         My fiancé is a beekeeper, and we have bees on the property

·         I’ll be doing 99% of this myself, so keeping things DIY and budget-friendly is important

We can use any part of the yard. In the last photo I attached a diagram of sorts. I have planting space to the left and right of my driveway as well as my back yard. Down the road, I’d love to build a greenhouse (likely next year), and eventually attach a small chicken coop to it.

All of this is to say: I’m overwhelmed. The research I’ve done so far has only made me more confused, and I don’t have the budget for trial and error mistakes this season. I don’t have family I can ask about this, and my friends are all indoor plant enthusiasts.

TL;DR – Looking at my yard, where would you put:

·         Garden beds

·         A greenhouse/chicken coop

·         Fruit trees

If anyone responds, thank you, truly. Any advice on how to start this season would mean a lot.