What are your garden plans for 2023?

As per usual, I have entirely too many 2023 plans. Let’s call them “aspirations” 😂.

1- compost and mulch the heck out of everything. I finally feel like I have the inputs I need to make a real improvement and I’m psyched!

2- get this years cover crop/green manure mix to take better/not wash away/get eaten. Maybe seed balls? I have some areas of bare soil and some grass/lawn—maybe I need to sheet mulch the grass.

3- get in two dwarf peach trees. I’m done being scared of trees

4- make a pleasant seating area to entice my family outdoors

5- hopefully better yields in my annual veggies. Trying some new varieties and also winter sowing rather than starting seedlings this year.

6- putting in at least robust perennial veggie.

Sit down and actually read “Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual”. Time to remind myself of the fundamentals of permie design and I think most of my garden decisions for this year will flow from that. Have started on chapter 1 and I already feel re-energized and determined.

We are still under a blanket of snow here in Alberta, Canada, but it is spring officially today! So I'm thinking gardens, but I really have no idea. My husband used to be the gardener, but now he has a full time job. Plus he is not that into permie stuff. So I thought this year is my chance to show how great permaculture principles can be. Except all I have is theory and not much experience. I saw Helen Atthowe's presentation on the PDC course and I loved her talk about soil fertility data. It made me feel like she really knows what she is talking about and she should as she has had decades of experience growing stuff. Maybe I should have a look at Helen Atthowe's master gardener program, the Garden Master Course?!!

Well, it's the first day of spring and I'm on track to have a mid-late May plant sale!    

Next week it looks like I can start leaving all my plants out overnight;  it's a drag lugging them into and out of the house every night!

I built a third bay to my compost system and gave one bin a really good turning.    The other two bays need some repairs so this will help me get that done.

Allotment registration started today as well, and we can start planting on 4/17!

I have some super cute baby rabbits born on valentines day that will be for sale in a couple more weeks too,  lots going on!  

2023 is going to start off with revamping the back garden again.  This fall Duchess discovered she could wiggle through the cattle panels we have been using to fence off the garden from the rest of the back yard.    So first order of business' this spring is a new fence she can't wiggle through.  That means either welded wire with a wood frame or chain link.   And since I have added a bouncy sighthound to the family the new fence needs to be 6ft tall.

Those cattle panels will be repurposed, the full length panel will become an arch trellis and the half panel will become an upright trellis in front for my rambling winter squash.

The garden beds will also get changed up.   This fall and winter showed us that the beds really do need to be more then a square of wood laid on the ground just in case either the terriers or the sighthound gets into the garden area... So new taller metal beds are being put in the back and the wooden beds are being stacked to at least double the depth of the beds.  I mean they are less then 2 years old and it would be wasteful to not find a way to use them.   I am keeping the current lay out as much as possible.  Back garden will be potatoes, onions, bush beans and herbs.   Cucumbers and vining summer squash will go on the gate arch with lettuce  and cut and come again in front of them.  

Front yard  We are adding a tall metal bed (32 -33 inches tall) to act as a divider between the area I am rewilding and the public stealth garden.  Moving the corn over to the alley side and those big rambling winter squash will be put in near the driveway. Onions and potatoes will move to the back yard and join all the varieties of dry beans I am trialing this year.  My tumbling tomatoes will go in that tall bed so they can droop down the front of it leaving my shelf in the back garden for herbs.  There will be runner beans in the front yard as I love the look and taste.  A couple of beds of kale, chard, and collards will go in.  Some  dwarf or indet tomatoes that grow well in my grow bags.  And of course flowers both for pretty and for jelly.

Of course I am thrilled with the deep boxes we are getting/making as they will be set up something like a hügelkultur bed with my cottonwood logs at the bottom, then a layer of barn/chicken coop (I have friends thrilled I want to take this off their hands)  topped by 5 to 6 inches of soil.

Well all my plans are tentative, since I'm sick.
But...
i planted a couple of mulberries last fall, I hope they produce this year.
Got some hazelnuts and strawberries coming. Will need to get them planted.
I'm thinking about adding another bed or two, but it remains to be seen. (I've lost a lot of muscle mass, so i limit myself to how much work I can do.)
Going to trellis my tomatoes this year, and see if they do better.
Adding mulch to the paths is on the list
Oh, and a compost system.
We'll see.

Looking to move soon so all is up in the air hope to have green house up for fall into winter crops after move. My indoor hydroponics has already given us lettuce has flowers all over the tomatoes and some cucumbers also has flowers on summer squash. These will all be in three to seven gallon buckets after move. still in one gallon for now (much easier to move but more work till replanted) 5 acres to deal with after move but house and animals come first so it will be 2024 before I can get to "real gardening" again.