Spring Garden Planning & Inflation Shocker

Garden Map 2022

Spring planting time in the Foothills has finally arrived, and just in time, I’ve created an updated garden map for 2022. Although spatial orientation is not my strong suit, and I can’t draw worth a darn, I took a stab at it—if only to show that even a rough map can work!

In any event, mapping your garden is a super-easy way to track your crops for rotation and soil amending. 

Years ago, I got the idea of mapping your garden from the manager of our local nursery—but didn’t draw my first map until last year! Now, I don’t know how I ever did without one. 

Being able to clearly see (and not have to rely on my often unreliable memory) what crops have been planted where in the last 4 or 5 years is already helping my efficiency in the garden.

Also, with a lot of family things going on the last 9 months, having my garden map helps prevent the sort of mild paralysis I’ve been having over all the decisions a food gardener has to make at planting time. 

For instance, at the end of April and early May, I’ve got 6 or 7 beds to sow—and I tend to keep second-guessing myself until I actually get the darn seeds in the ground, and it’s too late to do anything about it!

When I get overwhelmed by garden chores, my husband John always gives me the same advice: just pick one job and work on that. 

Having a map, I’m learning to apply the same suggestion to deciding what crop to plant in what location. If you’ve got a map, just take things one bed at a time. Select your bed, assess what you’ve planted there previously, then make your choice from your collection of seeds that hopefully you’ve purchased by now!

Price Surprise: Like you probably are, I’ve been tracking the prices of our usual food purchases and household items. The seeds we buy from a local seed grower haven’t gone up in price—but oh my gosh, did I get an inflation shocker: the new 40 lb. sack of organic, locally-made layer mix we feed the hens skyrocketed by $7. In 2 months, it went from $35.99 to $42.99. Just last summer, the price was $32.99.

Ouch!

A few months back, I did a post on the economics of keeping a home flock of laying hens. My conclusion back then: let’s just say don’t expect to save any money on home-grown eggs. With this latest price increase, our home flock seems to be even more like a hobby—and expensive one at that. 

However you look at it, self-reliance doesn’t always come cheap!