The Backyard Plan aka My Mini-Farm

Can a garden have a blueprint? Well mine does, though it isn't to scale or drawn with rulers. But that is just how planny of a person I am! I love writing down plans, drawing up plans, and climbing sideways on plans. Okay just kidding on that last one. Occasionally I even execute a plan - lol!

You're probably going to drop your jaw at my garden blueprint (if you can make any of it out). I know its a bit over the top. But I really do want to grow all of our own produce this year. So I am thinking of my "backyard project" as my little mini-farm. My little mini-farm in the middle of a regular ole neighborhood. I admit it kinda makes me feel special. You walk through this regular city-like neighborhood and peer over my fence and see a mini-farm! Woo-hoo!

So the non-gardeny things you see in the drawing:

- My brother and sister and I are going to build a fence around my backyard. The reason I haven't done it yet is that I cannot for the life of me decide if I want to level the yard first. I was born and raised a flat-lander and I want an even backyard, by golly! But is it really worth several hundred dollars and lots of labor and reseeding all the grass to have an even backyard? I just don't know!

- My brother and I are building a clubhouse for my daughter's 12th birthday.

- I am giving my little one a swingset for his 7th birthday this summer.

- I haven't decided for certain on the chickens yet, so I drew in the coop & run just in case. I really want to do it, but I must admit that I am a bit skeered.

- The pool. No biggie, just one of those above-the-ground vinyl pools from Sam's Club.

As for the gardeny things you see in the drawing, I researched companion planting as well as how to alternate plants that take from the soil with plants that build up the soil. Okay. My name is Tanya Taylor and I am an obsessive planner. Its a problem. Anyway, just in case anyone is as into this as I am, I will post about companion planting and giver vs taker plants in another post.

Down on the farm,