Design Plans for 2023

Lisa K
Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

Last year I got the idea to come up with a plan from @judsoncarroll4 so I thought I would take the time in winter to create my 2023 plan.

It sort of was started by nature, we had a lot of rain in December and after the rain I realized that some Kale seeds and potatoes I planted last year came up!

I am hoping that once I have settled my dad's estate, I will be able to return to the garden. The new challenge this year is to see what I can grow at his house, since I will be splitting my time between the two houses for a while. His yard get very little sunlight except for an area that is a concrete pad.

I may move my vertical towers to his house and see what I can get to grow.

Do you have any plans?

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Comments

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    So far... I have been getting more into whittling and woodcarving and am going through a bunch of old books and some youtube videos now, working out some designs for a spring pole lathe and a shave horse - good use of indoor winter time.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K

    It sounds like you have new roads to travel. It always leads to learning and maybe looking at life differently.

    I'll also be splitting my time up between two houses as I finish my mom's estate up too.

    The one house is in a town. Beautiful gardens with pathways in the front and side. The back of the property has a porch that runs the entire length of the house. I hope to put in vertical gardens, container gardens and hanging baskets for food. I have to get approval first. (I am not used to having to get approval for projects. It will develop skills working with property owners and small spaces.

    I am doing more garden design and garden advising this year. Overall, it will be a different experience and adventure.

    I am so ready for spring and better weather, even with the mild winter we have had. Mild meaning no heavy snows. But - its either been freezing cold or above average temperatures. That means shrub and plant damage.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Finally took pictures of my Kale and Potatoes -


  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K Use the joy of gardening to help you heal.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Monek Marie thank you and I am trying to get outside more. Hope things are getting better for you too!

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Also coming up is some carrots and the first sign of spring is coming, my Irises are starting to flower. 


  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Kind of glad I did not start any seeds because the windstorm that just went through completely up ended my mini greenhouse which I start my seeds. The wind was so strong that it dislodged the bricks I have holding it down and blew it on to my patio.


  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K That must have been a bad storm! I took my greenhouse like that down and put it away because we've been having a lot of wind gusts. I've been wanting to have a fire in our fire pit but too much wind lately.

    I have one bed covered in plastic with a lot of bricks on the plastic and a zillion clips clipping it to the pvc pipe. I have calendula and lavender in it that I'm hoping to get early spring flowers from.

    I'm thinking about what I want to do this spring. I haven't made any definite plans yet. I have 3 raised beds besides the one above and a couple grow bags in my backyard plus my leaf area that I'm going to grow potatoes and okra in again. I'm thinking of how to rotate everything and to fit it all in. We always have another frost after spring break when everyone plants everything, so I've been collecting plastic bottles and a little insolation from my veggie boxes to keep my plants from dying during it.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @kbmbillups1 this was something! We get maybe one wind storm a year but this one was combined with really heavy rain. the neighbors behind my dad's house has eucalyptus trees that had branches break off and scattered all over the neighborhood, some of the branches even blew over my dad's house.

    We are still expecting more rain but hopefully not so strong winds (even though it is still a bit windy).

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K Wow! That sounds almost like those straight lines winds that we get sometimes when they say it wasn't a tornado. Sounds like you guys didn't have any real damage which is good.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @kbmbillups1 I am very grateful that neither house had any real damage, the wind and rain is supposed to keep up until Sunday but not as bad. I am also grateful for the rain which we need desperately, hopefully this will end California's drought for at least a year or two.

  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K I didn't realize you were in California. Your state has had some terrible weather for several weeks now. Glad you're getting rain!

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thanks @kbmbillups1, yes we are and it was the same over the weekend.

    Friday night I was at my dad's house and my truck does not fit in the garage so I park it in the driveway and due to a bunch of catalytic converters being stolen I back it in and it was partially under the roof. Here is what I woke up to on Saturday morning, so I turned the truck around and it drained very nicely.


  • kbmbillups1
    kbmbillups1 Posts: 1,390 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K Wow! That is some serious rain!! I hope you guys just get rain and no flooding.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well today is Saturday March 18th and I still have not been able to start any seeds or plant anything outside for a simple reason - Atmospheric Rivers! According to which News station, we have had between 13 and 15 of them with one or two more coming next week!

    With these storms we get a lot of rain - heavy at times (even some hail) and wind which ends up tipping over my mini greenhouses.

    So I will be starting late this year, at least I will have lots of water during the summer, between my two ponds (which are overflowing), rain barrels and trashcans that I have filled with water.

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K , our @judsoncarroll4 has some terrific ideas and skills

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K We've been blasted by two late snowstorms. I would usually hope to start planting outside (in cold frames) in early April, but I think we'll be several weeks late this year.

    But at least I am starting my tomatoes inside now!

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @SuperC he does and great idea about the pool party!

    @VermontCathy we are getting at least one new storm starting tonight, chances are it will bring you more snow. I have been growing some of my herbs like basil indoors as well.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here is a picture of one of our highways that is near a creek which overflowed.


  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My elderberry cuttings have arrived! Once I can get into the backyard without having to wade or slog through mud, I will plant them. Very excited!

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yesterday I picked up a bunch of herbs and a bush (not giving the name yet because I posted it in the Mystery Plant post). Along with my plants I was given some Ladybugs which the nursery is giving away this weekend in honor of Earth Day.

    Today, I planted all of the herbs and will be releasing the Ladybugs later this evening.


  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    With any luck it will rain tonight into tomorrow so maybe the Gopher repellant I put down will do something about the mutant gophers that I seem to have ... the picture below are all different mounds.


  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Design plans are about all I have for this year so far. I just planted some seeds on Saturday for my starts. At the rate the snow is hanging on, I might not see my raspberry and currant bushes as well as the mullein I planted last year until mid June.

    The driveway and a few other woody areas are clear or close ot clear of snow but the open areas had so much snow they are taking forever to melt.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @vickeym the weather seems to be hindering a lot of gardens getting start this year, especially snow. Hopefully spring will be here soon!

    I wish the weather was the reason for my lack of motivation, I understand that right now life for me is very different but my garden is usually where I find solace. To try to get some motivation back I have started a 100-day challenge.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K I understand having a hard time getting motivated. I was very excited to get started, then in discussing things with my DH I realized our plans are not in sync. I was planning for clearing the area where my "permanent" garden is supposed to go and getting the raised beds put in for next years garden. Only to find that he has longer term plans.

    He wants to clear the trees this year and build rotating pig pens there. letting them take out the brush and till the soil one section at a time. Then he will move them around every month or two until the whole thing is turned and cleared.

    He built me a very nice greenhouse a couple years ago, then promptly took it over for his hydroponic tomatoes and cucumbers. And while I love them, I no longer have room in there for anything else.

    My outdoor "beds" consist of 8 old bathtubs, a couple very small raised bed boxes and my 6 x 8 herb bed. Along with a few large pots. Once the snow was melting in that area I went out looking around and realized that while plowing this winter he had hit all three large pots and busted them as well as busting out one section of the herb bed and one of the small raised bed boxes.

    Then I find he wants to move it all this year to a space where he will not be plowing around them so much. This is the 4th year I have had to move everything.

    Hard to get excited and get started when you have to move it every year and basically start over. Getting such a late start to begin with and then can't plant anything until you can move everything, and it is all moved by hand as we have no equipment to move it with.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @vickeym that would be hard! One of the things I am doing this year is investing in vertical planters that I can be easily moved around as needed. They also allow me to grow some things while I fix and prep my raised beds.

    Part of my lack of motivation is due to the fact that both my & dad's front and back yards got away from me when my dad got sick last July and then passed away in January. I have hired someone to help clean up my dad's front and back yard. then I finally hired someone to clean out my front yard but I am trying to clean out my back yard myself, not sure that is going to work.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Lisa K I'm so sorry about your loss. I know how hard it can be to deal with and get past that. I lost my Mom just after moving to Alaska. Will pray for you.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @vickeym thank you and sorry for your loss.

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have decided I wanted to spend more time actually gardening than maintAnce, so I purchased four tall metal raised-beds which will replace the four that I am having to redo to protect them from creatures. It will much easier to secure them and they are taller than the ones I made. I also got irragtion systems for each of the towers, again to minimize the maintance time.