Hello!

Hi, Everyone!

We bought a 26-acre alfalfa farm last year. Although all our energy went into building our tiny house, I had a little strip of garden during the hottest summer on record. It survived. Although it didn't amount to much, it allowed me to get my hands in the dirt. This summer, I plan to put up a deer fence around my tiny orchard and garden area. Now that it's just the two of us, I cannot decide how much space I need. I've had enormous gardens both SFG and conventional row gardens.

Is there anyone out there who is feeding two retired plant-based vegans and might have a recommendation for a good plot size? I don't want to put in too much. However, since we have to fence it for pests, I don't want it to end up being too small either. Thoughts?

Thanks

GG

Thanks for replying. I have lived in PHX but not currently.

NE WA near Canada

Welcome GG. No advice as I am also new to the forum, but I wanted to say Hi

GG63 wrote:
Is there anyone out there who is feeding two retired plant-based vegans and might have a recommendation for a good plot size?

We're more neo-vegetarian than actual vegetarian. Like I'll make the occasional Vegan Chicken Surprise (mostly it was the chicken that was surprised).

How much of your diet do you hope to supplant? I assume you're not thinking of raising your own soy beans or wheat. I can tell you that it's pretty easy to get nearly 100% of your kale, chard, and lettuce requirements. Gourds and zucchinis can be productive, especially with a trellis. You might be able to get a fair number of tomatoes in, especially since (I'm making assumptions) you probably get plenty of rain. Everything I've mentioned so far could probably be done with one 4x4 square given a good location and a trellis.

If you want potatoes, you might take a look at Sanderson's method for growing them in 5 gallon buckets.

It might be good to come up with a list of things that you hope to grow, and then ask how much space people here think they'll require.

Happy Gardening!

GG, Welcome to the Forum from central California. Please edit your location so folks have a better idea how to reply. "NW Washington" or something similar. Every State is different and east WA is different from west WA.

Markqz made a good suggestion. List what you want to grow. That will help. The general recommendation we give to Newbies is to start small. You can always add beds, and more beds, and more beds . . .

Do read either the 2nd or 3rd Edition of ALL NEW Square Foot Gardening before you get started.

And, check with the local Ag Commissioner or Master Gardeners to see what can be planted when in your neck of the woods.

Welcome, GG63!  Looking forward to hearing more about your gardening aspirations!  I’m sure you will find a ton of info on this site using the upper left hand corner “search” box.

I highly recommend getting a copy of the latest edition of Mel Bartholomew’s book about square foot gardening.  He is the founder and the guidance there is gold!