Advice for getting started

Hi all

I'm about to move to 6.5 acres in middle Georgia (Hogansville) and am going to start a personal veggie garden, a cut-flower garden, and an herbal apothecary garden. We are starting small and learning as we grow. The land is flat, and I think it has been used to cultivate hay, but it's basically a large field without crops. I want to get started right away and try to get a fall garden in. We will be moving in mid-August. I have some basic questions and would love any and all advice!

1. I was thinking that immediately after moving, laying cardboard, landscape cloth, etc to get the grass and weeds down before planting. How long do I need to have these down before planting?

2. Once I remove these layers, I want to be sure my soil is good. We've had it tested, and our soil is 6.5 pH, Phosphorus: 8 lbs/Acre; Potassium: 103
lbs/Acre; Calcium: 1043 lbs/Acre; Magnesium: 329 lbs/Acre; Zinc: 2 lbs/Acre. I will have compost ready to go. What else should I do to get our small plots ready?

3. Greenhouses! Do I need one? What kind? Recommendations on building or kits to buy?

Thank you!!

Jen

I can relate to wanting to get going asap. However, I would recommend that you force yourself to observe the land for as long as possible before making any permanent changes. You'll be able to identify microclimates and shade/sun patterns. What happens with water is a big one even on relatively flat land. Where does it drain/runoff and where does it pool and keep the ground saturated. You can also observe animal and insect activity which will help determine the location of these things.

I've had to invest a significant amount of time in making changes to what I thought were the right locations/processes. A lot of that has been related to water and the erratic seasonal weather patterns that observing for a year was not long enough. There is a lot of trial and error. Second to water ponding/runoff, the moles have caused the biggest changes. Initially, I had everything in the ground. The mole activity has forced me to grow most food stuffs in raised beds so building them has been ongoing. Supposedly, they are not supposed to cause damage to plant and tree root systems but they do here. They will eat my walking onions right up to the ground surface and damage most plants if they find them. I have a 2 year old plum that started to have some leaf discoloration. I went to check on it and it pulled right out of the ground with no effort. Just below the surface was a series of tunnels and the roots were all gone all the way back to the trunk.

So some things will be trial and error and others will be done out of necessity. Time gained or loss in those processes will be directly related to time spent observing. Whether observation only or experimenting and then observing.

Lastly, out of sight out of mind is very true in my case. The area immediately around the house is very important for me.

I second everything Jackson said.

As to the turning pasture to garden, it depends!  The type of grass really makes a difference in timing and method, but don’t expect your first try to work—you might kill some of the weaker species but your soil seed bank is probably so full you will need multiple cycles to get to a manageable level for weeds in a veggie garden.  The YouTube channels no till grower and advancing eco agriculture are the top two I can think of for details.  

Are you going to have any machines? Tiller, tractor, riding mower, etc?  Are you solo, have a partner, going all in 24/7, still have a job, etc. ? A homestead will suck 120% of all available time and money, so plan in small steps so you don’t have a thousand half finished projects (learning the hard way).

Observation is one of the first permaculture principles.

Watching what happens after a rainstorm could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of heartache.

Start small with room to expand.

Greenhouses are a personal choice.  With the Georgia weather they might be more of a luxury rather than something needed.

Row cover might be more suited to Georgia.

Welcome to Permies!

1. I was thinking that immediately after moving, laying cardboard, landscape cloth, etc to get the grass and weeds down before planting. How long do I need to have these down before planting?

There are many different styles/forms of gardening, so specific advise may differentiate depending on your approach. For me, I'm big into minimal tillage so I would recommend putting down a natural smothering layer and leaving it. For example, I started a few of my in-ground gardens by laying down wide sheets of kraft paper and covered it with a thick layer of compost. Time decomposes the kraft paper and minimal weeds manage to persist. Those weeds that persist end up being easily removed by hand. I have found, however, that this style of prep does best when you let the ground mellow for about a year. It will not give you instant gratification to garden but will prepare the soil for a successful future garden.

2. Once I remove these layers, I want to be sure my soil is good. We've had it tested, and our soil is 6.5 pH, Phosphorus: 8 lbs/Acre; Potassium: 103
lbs/Acre; Calcium: 1043 lbs/Acre; Magnesium: 329 lbs/Acre; Zinc: 2 lbs/Acre. I will have compost ready to go. What else should I do to get our small plots ready?

Soil tests can give you an idea of where you are, at a very particular moment in a very particular spot BUT I have found them to be easy to over-focus on. Part of my gardening style involves learning how to identify when my plants are telling me something. Are they thirsty? Are they having a deficiency? With time and experience, you can start telling what is happening simply through observation. Soil testing, for a while. had my focus and I was ignoring what the plants were telling me. A test that helped me get started in understanding the potential challenges/benefits of my gardens is a simple, at home, mason jar soil test.. Clay can hold a bunch of nutrients but can be a bear to turn into good soil. Sand has great drainage but that means keeping nutrients in the root zone can be a challenge. Knowing what you may expect can help you correct issues faster. A lot of the soil texture issues can be solved with compost.

3. Greenhouses! Do I need one? What kind? Recommendations on building or kits to buy?

I wish I had a recommendation for you, I wish I had a greenhouse! For now, the window sills of my house function as my greenhouse for plant starts in the early spring.

I have a sayin:  “An observation a day, keeps the problems away” and l” observation before design, saves money and time”.

It’s very important to spend the first year observing. I know it’s hard, but like the other says it’s a big risk to take. That doesn’t mean, that you will spend a year doing nothing. During that first year you need to find out a lot of things about your grow space. What wildlife do you have? from what direction does storms usually hit?  Are there spots, where there is a lot of shade? Are there spot that are always wet or one that stays dry?

That said, if you can’t wait, I suggest you put up some nursery beds. Nursery beds are beds, where you start perennials from seed or small cuttings. Here you can baby them until the year has passed. Once that year has passed, you will have trees and shrubs, that are a lot larger and has acclimated to where you live. At that time you will also have more information about the land, the seasonal changes and its inhabitants. That’s how you save money.
If you haven’t already, you might also look into polyculture. I grow over 50 different kinds of herbs, teas and spices, and many are medical plants and flowers. What I have found, is that medicinal herbs and flowers, like sharing space with vegetables, and fruits. My strawberries are growing with onions, sage, marigolds and perennial root vegetables. If I were you, I would spend that year learning about companion planting and poly culture.

Thanks Scott. I am doing this full time while my husband does this part time while working a full time, remote position. We will have a riding mower and want one we can attach a trailer to to haul things like mulch. We have been learning a lot bout no till and eco agriculture but are always open to more resources! We do plan on walking our land a lot when we first get there and, for better or worse, there has been a lot of rain so hopefully can get some idea of water patterns. We are definitely planning small - 6-8 fall garden plants and about a 1/4 acre to experiment with some herbs and flowers. We are certainly interested in learning what the land wants to grow!

R Scott wrote:I second everything Jackson said.

As to the turning pasture to garden, it depends!  The type of grass really makes a difference in timing and method, but don’t expect your first try to work—you might kill some of the weaker species but your soil seed bank is probably so full you will need multiple cycles to get to a manageable level for weeds in a veggie garden.  The YouTube channels no till grower and advancing eco agriculture are the top two I can think of for details.  

Are you going to have any machines? Tiller, tractor, riding mower, etc?  Are you solo, have a partner, going all in 24/7, still have a job, etc. ? A homestead will suck 120% of all available time and money, so plan in small steps so you don’t have a thousand half finished projects (learning the hard way).

Thank you! We have been studying companion planting and poly culture but recognize there is always more to learn! See my reply to Scott for insight into how we are thinking about the first year. We are also going to have a UGA extension person some and give us some advice.

Ulla Bisgaard wrote:I have a sayin:  “An observation a day, keeps the problems away” and l” observation before design, saves money and time”.

It’s very important to spend the first year observing. I know it’s hard, but like the other says it’s a big risk to take. That doesn’t mean, that you will spend a year doing nothing. During that first year you need to find out a lot of things about your grow space. What wildlife do you have? from what direction does storms usually hit?  Are there spots, where there is a lot of shade? Are there spot that are always wet or one that stays dry?

That said, if you can’t wait, I suggest you put up some nursery beds. Nursery beds are beds, where you start perennials from seed or small cuttings. Here you can baby them until the year has passed. Once that year has passed, you will have trees and shrubs, that are a lot larger and has acclimated to where you live. At that time you will also have more information about the land, the seasonal changes and its inhabitants. That’s how you save money.
If you haven’t already, you might also look into polyculture. I grow over 50 different kinds of herbs, teas and spices, and many are medical plants and flowers. What I have found, is that medicinal herbs and flowers, like sharing space with vegetables, and fruits. My strawberries are growing with onions, sage, marigolds and perennial root vegetables. If I were you, I would spend that year learning about companion planting and poly culture.

Watching your property for awhile is the best advice I have seen here.  It could save you time and money:::::::::

Bought my current property in 2019, moved there that Sept.  (Undeveloped land).  Lived in used 5th wheel for 1 1/2 years while building my home.
I planted some spinach and lettuce that fall by the 5th wheel.  Had to have something growing!
Next year I expanded the little garden to about 50 square feet, tomatoes, peas, etc.  Couldn't be to big because I was building my home, not much time for garden and I was keeping an eye on the land for a good location.
Had an excavator dig out a 20' X 30' area for a garden site in 2020.  Finished the home that summer and moved in.  Built several raised beds that winter.
Moved chicken coop that fall and fenced off the old area for another garden spot.  2021 planted there but no raised beds.  Good soil after the chickens.
Had to purchase a dump truck load of good soil for the other garden with raised beds.
Also several raised beds by the house.
2022 I had basically 3 garden locations going, all different micro climates.
The trees I had to remove for building were put down on a lower area below the home.  So in 2023 I cut what I could for firewood and moved the rest  a hundred feet from there and had a great bonfire!
Then I fenced the area, 50' X 100'.  I tried to build the fence out of multiple branches, willow, pines, looked good for a month or so, kept the deer out, then a big wind storm, blew down a bunch of the fence, deer saw an opportunity and had a feast.
2024 I put in 6' wire fence around the garden.  2/3 of the garden has great soil about a foot deep.  (I only check a couple spots for soil, should have checked more spots).
Fall 2025 a doe found she could jump the 6' fence, fortunately I had everything harvested but a couple pumpkins.  Added some tall poles to fence posts and strung flags between them so fence seems 8' tall, deer haven't tried to jump it yet.

I now have 4 garden spots, each a bit different micro climate.  Why?  I was in a hurry each year to get going!
Takes me a couple hours to water, but I am retired and have the time and enjoy it.

Great advice all around.   The only thing I might add is get to know your neighbors.  :-)    Do they garden and/or know of anyone who you might get local seeds from?  Do they have any animals that might get loose and eat your garden goodies?  Do they spray any herbicides/pesticides on or near your property?     Things like that.

As far as a greenhouse goes, probably not necessary right away (or at all, given your location).  If you have your heart set on one, maybe look into buiding a cattle-panel greenhouse.  They're budget-friendly, so it's not a huge investment if it turns out you don't need it.  I built one and it's one of the best improvements I made.

Wishing you the best of success with your endeavors!