When we first started this project we didn’t have much experience with gardening. At that point we had no idea how much the project would grow. Other than houseplants all we had grown was a few small planter boxes and most recently a very small in ground garden at a rental in Victoria.
We did everything by hand the first two years, definitely more work than we had hoped. If you’ve ever dug and moved sod without a machine you know what I mean. We dug holes and set the posts with large rocks we found hand tilling the garden bed… we had plenty. Then we stretched wire fencing around the posts and screwed some scrap wood to secure the wire. We built a quick gate and we were deer proof! If you have ever seen what a single deer can do to a garden in a night its impressive…and infuriating.
An open greenhouse door + ripe cherry tomatoes + brave deer = no more tomatoes 😡
We learned so much in our first year and got a good haul of fresh veg. We definitely did some things right… and also did a few things wrong. We overcrowded the garden for sure, but we did make sure that everyone in the garden was friends! Here is a simple resource for companion planting for you to check out.
The first year we grew peas, carrots, bok choy, pole beans, bush beans, zucchini, and swiss chard from seed. We used a few different brands but mainly west coast seeds. We also put in a few starter plants; kale, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and basil. The tomatoes and basil came from the annual Ladysmith Saltair Garden Club plant sale at Aggie Hall in Ladysmith. The best tomatos I have ever grown came from that plant sale, baseball to softball size, bright orange and perfectly sweet. Good thing I threw out the pot with the label, oops. A big regret but the garden isn’t interested in my tomato tears.
Happy Gardening!
frontyardfoodco.ca 