A multi-year plan with crop rotation!
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What a delight to hear back from Nancy E., who’s now in her second year of raised bed gardening. For Year 2, Nancy used the crop rotation feature to ensure she was arranging plants in a healthy way. Take a look at her garden layouts.
Nancy’s Garden Story
I am an avid gardener who started out gardening just for my family in 2022. I planted in newly constructed raised garden beds. The Almanac’s Garden Planner was a great tool to plan the varieties and spacing. In my first season, I could only plant as the beds were built and filled, so some of the squash and peppers got in really late but still had a decent production year as we had an extended summer (into October).
Then, I created a follow-up plan for 2023. I love the follow-on plan feature to help with crop rotation. It showed me where NOT to plant items from the same family.
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In 2023, it was the first year I could use all the beds from the beginning of the planting season. My husband had built 16 concrete beds, each with its own irrigation drip system that is controlled in what will be the greenhouse (the block structure in one of the photos).
I was very excited and used the Garden Planner during the winter to see where everything would go and how many seeds I’d need to start and/or buy.
Our weather in the Denver, Colorado, area was odd in 2023—a long, cold winter followed by a long, cool, and wet spring, and a short summer. The tomatoes only started to ripen in mid-August! The onions and garlic really liked the consistent moisture, and I went overboard on the cucumber plants, worrying about them not surviving. The most successful plant in the garden this year has been the strawberries. They are dark green and lush, and still producing (Fort Laramie, overbearing).
As you can see, we are surrounded by nature and are trying to keep out the largest wildlife (deer and pronghorn), but we have seen wild turkeys hop the fence with their poults. With the abundance, I’ve brought many items into my workplace to give to coworkers, and I am considering a small booth in our local farmers market next year.
My garden is my refuge, my happy place. I hope it can inspire others as well.
–Nancy Eggink
Nancy’s Garden Plan and Pics, 2022
Parker, CO (Zone 5)
Nancy’s Garden Plan and Pics, 2023
Try the Garden Planner. It’s free for the first seven days, with ample time to play around and plan your first garden!
Catherine Boeckmann
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In the above article, Vegetable Garden Planner Reviews: Nancy E., the raised beds look to be made of some type of concrete product, but not really sure. Were these homemade and any how to's? Very interesting article and well done. It also looks like they have "indoor plumbing" for irrigation. Any additional information would be most helpful. I really enjoy the articles I get to read every morning in my almanac. I thank you in advance for your help. Cheers!
Blessings, Yes it does look like cement did they come from a company if so who? Our community is just getting back to our Monastic roots and wish to have large gardens, however we are small and do need the two foot tall ones but really can afford so little but the solid better is more prudent as we also do some conservation with 25 blue bird homes, 13 honey bee hives, and a monarch butterfly nursey. And hope someday to expand our gardens not only to feed us but the poor and homeless in our area on our 100 acres.
