!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally mapped out my whole garden - more revealing than I expected

Finally sat down and mapped out my whole garden properly. Been growing fruit trees and perennials for a few years but never had a clear picture of how it all fits together until I drew it out.



All my vegetables are crammed into the top left corner next to the greenhouse. The rest is fruit trees and perennials, partly because they've been the most productive part of the garden by far, and partly because it's the back garden and my partner likes it to look nice. Hoping to claw back some more veg space in the next few years.

You can browse my garden in full resolution here: https://app.leaftide.com/g/joao/

I built Leaftide for this (biased, I know), but honestly just doing the exercise of mapping it all showed me things I'd missed for years. Stuff competing for space that I hadn't noticed, obvious gaps.

Does having a visual map actually change how you plan, or is it overthinking it?

I tend to map before rather than after, although my planning is rather loose, with cross sections and rough schematics done from memory rather than measured. I often find though that when I actually do measure I have to change my ideas a bit. For example in my new 'zone one' kitchen garden my plans evolved....

This was my first design:

with keyholes along a central path...

When I actually measured it, I found the area was much more square than I thought, so I came up with this design...

with perennials on one side and a semicircular annual garden on the other.

When I came to make the beds I felt that six beds would end up rather small, so I made four:


I'm thinking now I may make a roundish bed in the centre to avoid the sharp corners...still evolving!

I think doing a plan of my whole area would be too much work now - I did have an overall scheme before I started, and again this evolved once I started digging....

Nancy's reply about plans changing once you're actually on the ground stuck with me, that's been true here too.

Added dandelion and silverweed to the plant list after some feedback here, and working through the Backyard Food Pump thread for more gaps. Up to 1228 types now. If anyone's tried to add something and couldn't find it, worth checking again or just let me know.

I downloaded the app and have been playing with it a little bit as I have had time. My current time has been spent in the plot designer which has quite a bit of customization depth to it. I had to eventually sit down on my computer to use it as I need the ability to provide a finer touch than my mobile provides me.

I was stoked to use the satellite view overlay, a neat feature, but then realized that the last photo of my plot is obscured by leafed out trees. Negatives of having a postage stamp sized lot I suppose!

Question for Joao, I'm currently mapping out my beds for size in the designer. Is there an option to "snap to fit" objects to the grid lines for alignment? It is not something that is necessarily needed but something I have seen in other grid-based designers. (I play a lot of table top RPGs and make maps for my player on occasion haha). I'm still orienting myself to all of the design options, I applaud the thought that has already gone into it. Just thinking out loud as I have my first few experiences going on.

Timothy Norton wrote:I downloaded the app and have been playing with it a little bit as I have had time. My current time has been spent in the plot designer which has quite a bit of customization depth to it. I had to eventually sit down on my computer to use it as I need the ability to provide a finer touch than my mobile provides me.

I was stoked to use the satellite view overlay, a neat feature, but then realized that the last photo of my plot is obscured by leafed out trees. Negatives of having a postage stamp sized lot I suppose!

Question for Joao, I'm currently mapping out my beds for size in the designer. Is there an option to "snap to fit" objects to the grid lines for alignment? It is not something that is necessarily needed but something I have seen in other grid-based designers. (I play a lot of table top RPGs and make maps for my player on occasion haha). I'm still orienting myself to all of the design options, I applaud the thought that has already gone into it. Just thinking out loud as I have my first few experiences going on.

Hi Tim, really glad you're giving it a go!

Desktop is definitely the right call for the designer, I always say the same. The finer control makes a difference when you're placing beds.

Plants inside beds snap to fit already, which sounds like what you're used to from mapmaking. For beds themselves I haven't added snapping yet. A fixed grid gets tricky because everyone measures in different units and the grid ends up feeling arbitrary. Are the items you're trying to align the beds themselves? If so, snapping beds to each other's edges might be more useful. Happy to add it to the list, I'm always adding features people ask for (just please confirm if that's what you need).

The aerial photo frustration is real. Summer satellite shots are useless under the canopy. I added the option to upload your own aerial for that reason, so a drone shot or even a photo from an upstairs window works as the base layer instead.

Joao

Joao Winckler wrote: Plants inside beds snap to fit already, which sounds like what you're used to from mapmaking. For beds themselves I haven't added snapping yet. A fixed grid gets tricky because everyone measures in different units and the grid ends up feeling arbitrary.

Ahh! I see now. I was tracing out the beds and paths first and have not started adding plants. I see now what you mean with the grid becoming less important once you create your outlines and then the plants can be arranged neatly to the beds. I'll keep orienting myself to the tools

Timothy Norton wrote:

Joao Winckler wrote: Plants inside beds snap to fit already, which sounds like what you're used to from mapmaking. For beds themselves I haven't added snapping yet. A fixed grid gets tricky because everyone measures in different units and the grid ends up feeling arbitrary.

Ahh! I see now. I was tracing out the beds and paths first and have not started adding plants. I see now what you mean with the grid becoming less important once you create your outlines and then the plants can be arranged neatly to the beds. I'll keep orienting myself to the tools

Great! Once you start adding plants please let me know how you get on.

To me, having a visual of my garden would be depressing.

6 raised beds that are 8' x 8' and two round ones at the back patio.

Next to the front patio is he 6 x 6 bed with the rosemary.

Maybe I missed it, do you have a compost pile?

Anne Miller wrote:To me, having a visual of my garden would be depressing.

6 raised beds that are 8' x 8' and two round ones at the back patio.

Next to the front patio is he 6 x 6 bed with the rosemary.

Maybe I missed it, do you have a compost pile?

Hi Anne,
Yeah, I actually added lots of "objects" and other things to add, including compost, try the Decor:


Is that what you meant?

All the best,
Joao

Joao, thank you so much!  I've downloaded the app and am fooling around, just to see how it all works.  Hopefully I can figure out the random placements, like "lavender beside the house" and "lavender in The Pile".

I think this will help me to just pay attention more.

Ellen Morrow wrote:Joao, thank you so much!  I've downloaded the app and am fooling around, just to see how it all works.  Hopefully I can figure out the random placements, like "lavender beside the house" and "lavender in The Pile".

I think this will help me to just pay attention more.

Glad you like it!
For actually doing the mapping part and designing I really recommend logging in on a computer, it's much more precise.
Any questions please let me know.

Just a little update:
Some of the people who are using it decided to share their designs publicly, so now this is available if anybody is curious of what is possible:
Leaftide Garden Gallery