I am thinking I need to DIY a raised bed or two. We also want to build a mini-greenhouse with PVC piping, if space allows. I live in East Georgia, USA along South Carolina. Here’s some information:
Area A (Blue): I provided the estimated measurements of the area. The soil is practically nonexistent, mostly rocks and clay.
Area B (Red): I provided the estimated measurements of the area. The soil is practically nonexistent, mostly rocks and clay.
Free Space (Purple, F.S.): Did not take measurements of it, but it’s the space in front of the deck.
Dead/Former Garden Area (Green Shaded): Where the previous garden was. All clay, but plants thrived with garden soil.
Black Circle (?): Picture of clay.
Backyard Creek (Light Blue Line): The creek all the way down my backyard.
Possible Grape Vine Spot (Yellow, G?, 1): Possible spot to grow Concord grapes.
Possible Grape Vine Spot (Yellow, G?, 2): Possible spot to grow Concord grapes.
We have tons of trees in the backyard, hence why I believe if I were to install a greenhouse in either Area A or Area B, I could place an artificial light. On a side note, I am planning to buy an outdoor play set for my daughter in either Area A or B, depending on what you guys suggest.
We want to grow:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Snow peas
Carrots
Cucumber
Seranos
Poblanos
Avocado
Corn
Concord grapes
Pomegranate
Basil
Cilantro
Other herbs/spices
Of course we won’t be growing all of them, but it’s on our list of potential stuff to grow.
That being said, my backyard is a disaster and I was thinking of utilizing my front yard since it has way more useable soil (not pictured,) however I’d be the only person in my neighborhood with a front yard lawn. I was thinking of replacing the bushes outside in my front yard with blueberry bushes.
Please let me know what you believe is the best use of my space and how I could go by growing what we want. We will start composting all the dead leaves and grass clippings along our leftover fruits.
Thank you in advance!
by TheReaperProceeds
8 Comments
Build a large greenhouse at the back of house. You have plenty of room. Greenhouses can easily hold temps even when it’s freezing outside. You could even build a coup and have some chickens for the eggs and they will help fertilize the garden.
Bad soil is for raised beds. Your back will thanks you for that too someday.
As far as building a greenhouse goes, I would make that determination entirely based on sun exposure. I don’t see much point building a greenhouse someplace that doesn’t get enough sun exposure to grow anything, and the lack of growing things in the pictures, combined with the proximity to the house and tree cover, makes me think that’s what you have in your back yard.
Also, I see oak leaves and pine needles/cones all over that back yard. Your soil pH is probably way too acidic to grow vegetables. Assuming you want to use the bad soil, you’ll probably need to use lime or wood ash to bring the pH up if you want to grow anything. If you look up a video on how to take a soil sample, you can usually send them to a local college or lab to get the sample tested to confirm pH or if other amendments are needed. It’s often free or very cheap to do this.
Request for more info: How experienced of a gardener are you? What kind of budget are you working with? Have you ever had a soil test done?
Build the greenhouse and then start doing hydroponics. Never have to deal with soil and you will actually grow more veggies than you can eat. Mhpgardener is the OG and explains everything you need to know. With this method you can scale up or down and make it as simple or as intricate as you want.
https://youtu.be/nXy32Dr4Z4A?si=wyHzlUjkMfOqXQur
Sun is a very important consideration and you don’t give info on summer sun for each space. Most vegetables like full sun so that should help you decide, same with the greenhouse
In all honesty, the types of measurements you provided aren’t of much value. What we really care about are the sun exposure measurements and sunlight hours. How many hours of sunlight are at each location? Which way is north? Can you cut any of the trees down? The locations next to the house don’t look good because there is a bunch of green algae on your walls, this means there’s probably too much shade there. The soil situation is fixable, however the sunlight exposure is not. All the things you want to grow require a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight with the exception of the herbs. Pick the sunniest spot even if it means your front yard. I would avoid planting anything along the walls of the house. The area in front of your patio looks decent but we need the sunlight information first. Please go out there every hour and take notes or take a photo
Dry amendment over time will improve your soil. Buy and bury a worm bin in your yard.