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Letter Re: Question on Sizing a New Garden
Sir:
How much square footage should I fence off (to protect from deer)
for a [self-sufficiency] vegetable garden for my family of five?
Thank You Sir, - P.L., near Eugene, Oregon
JWR Replies: As a scant minimum, I'd recommend a
25' x 30' garden plot. By using French
Intensive (double dug) or Square
Foot Gardening techniques, you can get a huge yield out of that
much garden space. But if you
have the acreage
available
and can afford the extra fencing material, then by all means make your
fenced garden plot two or three times that size. This has several
advantages.
First,
you will have room to maneuver a tractor. Using a tractor disc will
save you a tremendous amount of labor, especially the first year that
you develop the garden. Secondly, the extra garden space can be used
to grow extra crops for barter and charity. You never know how many
relatives will show up on your doorstep on TEOTWAWKI+1.
Even if you don't have the time or the inclination to build
and oversize garden fence now, at least buy the materials for
fencing a big garden in the future--when
such
supplies may be difficult to obtain.
