Domestically Sustainable Agriculture - Construction, Planting, and Harvesting

In an effort to reduce future food costs, and create a lasting source of mainly vegetables and some fruits, we decided to invest some time and money into creating a sustainable garden. We all know the taste and experience of a home grown fruit or vegetable, and the satisfaction of enjoying a domestic masterpiece. It is not shipped from a far off land or an agricultural company, but rather it comes straight from the soil in your back yard.

I wanted to show you how we were able to experience this satisfaction, and I hope you can improvise some of my tips and adapt them to your own garden.

I wanted to publish this Instructable in time for the gardening contest, so I will be adding more pictures and information about the remaining crops that I will harvest!

Step 1: Find your plot

Planning is key, because you must know where you are planting, the dimensions of the plot, and plot characteristics to produce the best possible yield.

When choosing your plot, look for:

• Self accessibility (is it easy to get to?)
• Sunlight (at least 5 hours)
• Water accessibility
• Land quality
• Threats (animals, bugs, etc..)
• Ways to reduce costs (along an existing fence will reduce one side of your costs, or along the side of a barn or wall will reduce one side)

Update: April 9th: We will actually be extending our plot to include a larger area, enclosing some raspberry bushes, and an Asian pear tree. This will increase our price for fencing a little bit more, but it will be worth it.

Comments

[freeman21]

very nice, i like this idea

[timsbro2000]

Dear have no trouble at all with 6 foot or even 8 foot barriers. BUT that doesn't mean your fence wont keep them out. The real deterrent is that dear hate being in enclosed spaces. So while they could jump the fence they shouldn't enter a garden with even relatively high fencing.

[timsbro2000]

*deer

[DIY-Guy]

We find the "fence intensive" method works. Double fence lines, short then tall on the inside.

And now for a programmers joke-         ! deer

[The exclaimation point symbol is sometimes called a 'bang' when reading code aloud.]

[Totysheep]

You can also slice it real thin and dry it, dice it and then freeze it so you can use it in pasta sauce in the winter. Or dip slices in batter and fry or fry thin chips without batter.

[wirechief]

A 20 gauge shotgun works well too. Look at it this way, rabbit stew.

[tornadoboy]

More like rabbit puree

[M F]

a 12 gauge will make swiss rabbit, not a 20 gauge. I am looking for a source for 100 rabbit skins inexpensively. I want to make the rabbitskin blanket project.

[nkhouri haddad]

You have to come to our backyard it's just full of them feel free to make me one blanket too!
I tried the liquid fence but no luck, a friend advised to spray plants with hot sauce and it worked on my plants, but I have a lawn that they are intrested in more!

[popa27272]

so i tried broccoli this year and the rabbits took out all my plants, i noticed its been a couple of years since you posted this so i figured you probably have had a lot of trial and error...so what would you recommend to do to protect my broccoli next year from rabbits and i was wondering if you also knew how to save strawberries from chipmunks, just as they are starting to turn red the buggers pluck them and eat them over on a nearby chopping block i use for cutting firewood

[gregolma]

Try the "french intensive" method.   Dig down to subsoil and fork it up then re-fill the beds.

[Buskieboy]

Another option/addition is to plant a border of "deer repellent plants" such as Sage Peony, Poppy, Mock Orange and Morning Glory to name a few.  Be sure to plant some inside as well to fully discourage the rascals!

[kingmotorsport]

Would not a finer mesh screen around the bottom of the fence keep them out?  I think that would be a good initial deterrent. 

[xenoxx]

Coolio, you got me inspired now.
Doug.

[rocklocker]

A shotgun will make a mess out of a little rabbit better to use a .22 or a powerfull pellet gun and go for a head shot. Rabbits killed before the first hard frost may not be save to eat because of tularemia I think it's called. A good repellent is fox urine. Any good sporting goods store catering to hunters will have it. Put a few drops on some cottonballs amd space them about two feet apart around the perimeter of your garden. Replenish as needed.

[wilderness]

does anyone have any idea how fox urine is procured? just curious and slightly concerned...

[oakspoor]

First you invite several foxes over and let them drink all the beer they want then....OH WAIT!! Thats my  fraternity!

[layzieyez]

I'd suggest a .17 HMR for the accuracy and thriftiness. It provides a much cleaner and quicker kill than a .22. Look into it and you'll end up getting one. I guarantee.

[thepelton]

Human urine also can repel some critters, and you don't have to worry about buying it and carting it around, though some may object to seeing you apply it.

[static]

Took me a moment to dawn on me WHY anyone would object to seeing one APPLYING human urine around the garden, LOL.

[VIRGINIA CHAMP]

While I am new to gardening, last summer i had a tomato plant in a rock garden. it grew fast and BIG. We also have deer. once they discovered it, the battle was on. I took a strip of 4ft fencing and staked it around the tomato plant. They next decided to eat it over the top. so i took a piece of clear plastic and attached it to the top. This worked . This year, i have a raised bed with 4ft fence and because ot its size (3ft x 24ft) I am covering it with another strip of 4ft bfencing (attached on one side, lenghtwise). I hope you find this helpful.

[the rural independent]

A king snake is one of the best rabbit eliminators you can use.  You can buy one off of the internet.  They're organic to boot!

www.theruralindependent.com

[Spaceman Spiff]

Why not catch them and fatten them up for some delicious stew!

[AmyLuthien]

Dogs are good for keeping rabbits away too.  I recommend keeping a hatchet handy for when your dog gets one however . . .

[Brennn10]

Well this past fall, I did accidentally run over a young rabbit with my lawn mower.  Needless to say, I am never mowing in that same spot again.

[AmyLuthien]

I got one like that a couple years ago, sucked him right out of his hole (what was he doing burrowing in my lawn for anyway?) and nastiness ensued.  Took me a while to mow over that spot without shuddering! 

It's yucky, killing "Thumper" but necessary, otherwise they'll over-breed and then problems really start!  I will say though, I once had a large (10 lb) domestic rabbit buck that had the run of my backyard.  He pretty much kept all the other rabbits out.  So that's also a thought on rabbit control.  Easier to control one than a hundred.

[nate121]

this is a great guide on gardening i wish we had more room to do this but were stuck with a normal garden.

also try planting some clover outside of the fencing bunnys around he will take clover over most other plants...in fact i've never had trouble with bunnys eating the garden before

[Blaik]

You might also want to dig a small trench (no more than 6 ") at the base of the fence then put the small wire fencing down in the trench before attaching it to the larger fence, then fill the trench back in. This should help keep out most all pesky rodents (other than a flying squirrel, but that's a whole different story).

[pbritton]

news paper/cardboard and bark mulch works great for the paths

[pbritton]

for a roaring start to your garden try adding at least half compost if you've got a good source.

[pbritton]

I agree with Wayne31r, I have completely converted half of my lawn to a very successful veg garden and we used a combination of news paper and cardboard and have had no problems with any of our crops or weeds for 2 years. you have to hill potatoes but the labor saved is huge.

[awang8]

Which soil from http://www.centenarylandscaping.com.au/soils/ should I buy? The only exceptions are the Ultagrow HydroCell and Organic Herb Vegie Mix. They are waay overpriced.

[awang8]

Umm... Is it a pro feature or something but how come the link names don't appear anymore?

[georion]

I cant believe your deer cant clear a 6 foot fence!!!!!!! Ive seen deer here clear 8 feet without a problem--deer are something else-especially Whitetails!!!!!

[cfuse]

I don't claim to be an expert on deer behaviour (they aren't a native species where I am), but I recall reading that when it comes to fence jumping behaviour in animals, it has more to do with space for the run up and landing than the raw height of the fence. Animals aren't stupid, if they can see that a jump will likely result in injury they'll baulk at it.

[Brennn10]

They haven't cleared ours yet, so I guess we have been fortunate.

[georion]

I was just surprised that 6 foot would stop em!!!! not here. and i hope yours never ever jump higher1!!! deer -rabbits and now armadillos--i'm about to give up gardening!!

[Brennn10]

Uh-oh!

[awang8]

I think a rhinoceros is on the way to your garden. Super-uh-oh!

[georion]

Cfuse--a little more reading-a little less forming coclusions. awang8-- what do you mean? georion--due to be nice policy do not continue in this conversation,ok? OK!!! Bye ya'll.

[wayne31r]

Too late now, but you didn't need to enclose the raspberries within the fenced area. I've never known of deer or any other varmint to eat the raspberries (except for an occasional Japanese beetle). Nice fence, though.

[Brennn10]

You would be surprised. Last year we would find the deer chomping away on the leaves and the berries. This year unfortunately, the birds are enjoying our raspberries. On tap for next year is a bird net to keep them out.

[wayne31r]

Interesting. I guess it's true that deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough. They must have tough tongues.

[kayeed44]

I'm 65 and have used raised beds for years. PROBLEM area is the grass around the outer perimeter. I use old discarded rug, about a foot wide, and the long fasteners used for "weedmat" to keep it in place. It keeps all the grass from growing under the box and into the garden AND makes mowing easy.

[A good name]

Eh... I personally just edge my from time to time and make a small trench.

[wayne31r]

A much easier system, which I've used several times, is to layer the grass with cardboard or newspaper. Wet it a bit to keep it in place and pile on the loam or compost. By the time the plant roots reach that depth, the paper has decomposed along with the sod.

[mysterygirl154]

If you're planting more than one year in a row you should remember to cycle the types of vegetables around. Otherwise they'll use up all of one type of nutrient's in the soil and the crop will suffer. They look delicious by the way, I wish it was warm enough where I am to plant peppers.

[radiochemist]

not if you can compost your plant waste and rotten fruits & veggies and have a soil rich in beneficial bacteria. You can recycle the nutrients by mixing the compost in with the top soil with each new crop and plant whatever you want. The bacteria will help prevent diseases from being transfered by breaking down the pathogens in the soil.

[mysterygirl154]

It's still best to cycle your crops, composting plants can't save all the nutrients in the soil.

[radiochemist]

yeah I guess if you can only rely on the nutrients in the soil, but if you are able to stick all different kinds of waste from different places like rotten fruit that's fallen off trees and dead leaves in a compost bin with some worms, rather than just relying on what came out of your garden, you can make up for the nutrients that you eat. crop rotation is definitely a good technique but there are instances where it can't be practiced like in monoculture. (although monoculture is usually a bad idea)

[mysterygirl154]

monoculture isn't really something I've thought, we have about a dozen different vegetables in our garden. That sort of crop rotation takes a bit of planning before actually planting.

[radiochemist]

yeah that's probably true, i don't rotate my crops, i just recondition and fertilize the soil after every harvest but not everyone can do that. I guess my real point is if you never recondition or fertilize the soil and just keep growing different crops on the same spot, your yield will start to decrease and eventually nothing will be able to grow there because there won't be any nutrients left.

[mysterygirl154]

That's both our points actually :D

For anyone actually reading through this, choose one to get the most yield ^_

[Civbert]

We didn't bother cutting up the sod. We just placed the filled right over the grass. None of the grass came up through the new soil. So it might be OK to skip this step.

[rdominique]

If you use electric mesh fencing you can keep out rabbits squirrels and groundhogs without spraying repellent. You can run AC to an AC powered fence charger at the fence or you can plug the charger at the house and run the high voltage DC pulsed output through an insulated wire underground to the fence or you could do as I did for several years (until the battery died) and use a DC powered fence charge and carry a car battery back and forth every 3 weeks or so for charging. This spring I upgraded to a small gel-cell battery and a solar panel. We had an unprecedented 3 weeks of rainy and cloudy weather this spring so I had to carry the battery in for recharge anyway. Now that the weather is back to normal the solar panel is keeping the battery charged. You can also purchase a packaged solar powered charger system but they are pricey. The most important consideration is to never let the battery go completely dead. I used the extension sticks with rope trick and it works to keep the deer from jumping over the fence. The bottom line of the fence is not electrified since it contacts the ground. I had to install plastic edging along the bottom of the fence to keep the persistent groundhog from digging under the fence. The edging makes it easier for me to mow the fence line without snagging the fence wire.

[hogthrob]

Really great instructable - An improvement might be to ditch the turf (its rubbish compost) and turn the soil before topping up with topsoil. This would give you the benefit of a double dig, it gives you extra depth for growing things like potatoes and it never needs digging again!!! yay.

[static]

My thinking was leaning towards using the sod to build something in the garden. What you could build would depend on how large a garden area one makes. The first thing that comes to mind is the walls for the raised beds, the ultimate would be soddy for a garden shed..

[jalapeno1]

Great ible! I have built a raised bed garden over the last two years, and it's doing great. I used purchased top soil, but since I also raise rabbits, I mixed half soil and half rabbit manure. The best thing about using rabbit manure is that it won't burn plants when used fresh (as other manures will).

[samfelis]

Good instructable. I learned the hard way that rabbits like cilantro, but not basil. They like leaf lettuce, but not green beans or tomatoes. They also do not like butternut squash (although they will try it). Typically 8' is the "deer-proof" height for fences. That being said, if there's another food source nearby, 6' might be enough to deter them into seeking it out. Since it looks like you've got the space (not that you need much), give vermicomposting a try. Basically it's a method of composting using worms. You feed the worms your leftover kitchen scraps (what would otherwise go in your compost pile) and they break it down. You then collect the castings and spread them around your garden. Seek out "The Earth Moved" by Amy Stewart for more on how beneficial earthworms are to the gardener. Happy harvesting!

[thepelton]

Tomatoes and Potatoes are related to nightshade, which is toxic. Only the tubers and fruits of the potatoes and tomatoes are edible, and the rest is not. That's why the rabbits didn't like your tomato plants.

[Brennn10]

I never knew that, thanks!

[Brennn10]

Thanks for the tips! We will definitely try vermicomposting next season.

[robborobborobbo]

Is this type of fence effective for rascally rabbits too? we have lots of them and need to keep them out of the garden.

[Brennn10]

It is effective, but I would suggest adding small wire fencing that is used at ground level, just to prevent rabbits from crawling or digging under the fence.

[cdclark707]

Excellent, excellent job. Thanks for all the good tips. I did straw bale gardening this year and will instead do raised beds next year. For one thing, it's a LOT more attractive!

[Bennybenbenny]

I love Step 5. It proves once & for all that the grass is not greener on the other side. Plant winter beans to return nitrogen to the soil. Great garden!

[shwa]

I have garden and its a organized chaos,but it's really productive, although we don't have deers and rabbits we have moles and crows and lot of bugs so some of the crops have to be protected with the metal frame and white gauze like material over it ,its pain in the a** to water the plants under , but it saves a lot of fruits. We tried a lot of different species and a lot of time its just waste of time since we got results next to none,but still its more than enough vegetables and herbs for family of three and our relatives and most of close friends.I really envy you on the zucchinis ,for some reason here all we got is the leaves not many flowers and if we got the the fruit it tend to rot as soon as it reach about two inches in length.good instructable Thank you

[kludge000]

An other good/fast/easy garden is "straw bale" Start at least a month before planting time (call your local extension office for the date) soak a straw bale with manure/compost tea. Let it set for 4 to 6 weeks, then dig small holes in the top put in a handful of potting soil in each and your veggie starts. Soak the bale every 4 weeks or so for the rest of the growing season. At the end of the season cut the twine and spread out your now composted straw.

[rhackenb]

Great garden but I wonder if most people want to invest that much work and expense to set up a garden. A much simpler approach (but probably less professional) is to box off an area in your lawn with 4x4 landscaping timbers that are connected with L-brackets. I avoided digging up the sod in my lawn by simply laying down several thicknesses of newspaper inside the box and then buying or acquiring topsoil/dirt/compost and filling the box to the top. That means that the dirt will be no more than 3 inches deep. After that I planted it and we have a good garden going. Within one season all the grass under the paper has rotted. The garden does well the very first season. I showed a neighbor how I did ours and he emulated it and is now producing all kinds of stuff and it is only July. I made an 8x12 ft garden by buying 5 landscaping timbers and cutting one in half. There really is no need to do all that work digging up the sod. Anyway, very good instructable.

[chuckthehat]

Landscape timbers are not such a good idea around veggies They are treated with stuff that is not too good for exposure to food stuffs. Check with your local lumber yard about this or contact the lumber manufacturer directly. In the meantime "Happy Gardening"

[rhackenb]

I think all landscaping timbers are now just pressure treated. You can't buy them anymore infused with arsenic or whatever they used to use. I agree that the old timbers would be very bad for a garden.

[Forestal]

Great Instructable! You may consider planting some beans or other legumes in cycles with other vegetables in order to get nitrogen in the soil cheap and regularly. Consider letting the dog out to sleep in the garden if well trained or by the fence to scare the rabbits. Personally I would consider rabbits as a by-product, you sacrifice some veggies for high quality, free-range raised, low fat meat. A shotgun with number 8 shot or a .22 would be enough for harvesting the protein or consider humane trapping if permitted.

[arutkow]

Just a suggestion, but I remember every time we dug into the yard when I was kid (to expand the garden, plant a tree, bury grandma, etc) we would use the sod to patch a poor looking spot in the lawn. I also noticed that the sides of your beds didn't have any stakes going into the ground, I probably would have added one on each side, to keep the bed from bowing out. The results look good, but I must admit, I just plant extras for the wildlife, rather than invest in all of the extra fencing and gates, andso on. Anyway, still a great instructable, and the veggies look very nice. Congrats! -Abram

[Atomman]

Awesome Instructable! 100/10! Hope it wins!

[Brennn10]

Thanks! : )

[gumbytig]

A few things: Actual foxes are good deterrents to rabbits. Make sure you have no spaces more than about 2 inches in the bottom portions of your fence or around your gate to keep out the rabbits. Another option is to put about a 2ft. tall rabbit fence (tightere fence holes at bottom) around just the raised beds. It shouldn't be too tall for you to reach over and so far i haven't had any rabbit damage for the last 3 summers with that height of fence. I'm not sure the 6ft. fence will keep out the deer. I've watched them on a steep slope bounce twice uphill and over a 6-8ft. fence with out much effort. Just my thoughts on the subjects.

[SinAmos]

Excellent! Check out my wonderberry bushes.