Rachael’s intro

[Rtdowdy]

Hello all! First of all thanks to our teachers and hosts for putting on such a great program- I’m looking forward to absorbing as much as I can during our time together this year!

So our little family is coming to this course in really our 4th year gardening at our current property. We live in zone 8b about 5 miles from the ocean in Wilmington NC. By we, I include myself, husband, and two sons (8 & 3). We live on about 1/3 acre and have a back yard garden that we have expanded over the last 3 years to its close to final iteration. We also have chickens that roam our enclosed front yard. We mainly use in ground raised beds and some other cultivated areas for flowers and fruiting plants.

My main goals are to do the best in the space we currently have as we look in the future to move to some of my family’s farm land and really expand our acreage. I want to increase my ability to produce food and flowers so we can start and neighborhood farm stand.

[jack oostenbrink]

Hi Rachael! Welcome to the course and to the forum. Working within current space constraints is going to force you to be super efficient which will set you up for success later when you have more property. Is it your intention to have a neighborhood stand at the road this year already or is that a long term goal for when you have more property? I know a couple of "small space" gardeners that have a tiny stand in their front yard with an honor system payment method. I was surprised at how much they sell to pedestrians that are walking by.

[Rtdowdy]

Thanks Jack! Hoping for something small using the honor system is where I’d like to start this year. I was thinking I would offer it Tuesdays and Thursdays with garden items, flowers, eggs, and sourdough options (maybe using a sign up sheet?), maybe seedling (hope to add honey next year)? We live in a small suburban neighborhood about 50 houses outside the city and I think honor system or “pay what you can” would be simplest.

My biggest challenge is the summer heat (90+ F most days) and pests. I had good success with an early spring start this year and then the bugs came in and got a lot of our squash and tomatoes.

With succession planting, do you rotate crop location during the same season or just change year over?

[CoastRichard]

Hi Rachael. Your comment on doing the best in a small space until moving to farmland resonated. I recently heard Elizabeth Kaiser from https://www.singingfrogsfarm.com/ speak on their intensive regenerative practices in California.