PICKING A SPOT AND CRITTER PROOFING

The first consideration is the size you want for your organic garden.  If you are limited for space, make it as large as you possibly can as you will want to be able to rotate your crops; especially tomatoes and peppers, which are susceptible to multiple diseases and should not be planted in the same place for at least 3 years. An organic garden is challenging enough without adding diseases to the list.

You also need to consider the orientation, soil type and physical location.  Preferably you want an area that is not too rocky and relatively flat. It should be near the house, but not too close as the garden is not always picturesque and can be odorous if you are using steer manure for organic compost.  You DO want it near enough that it is convenient to bring produce into the kitchen.  The garden will need at least 5 hours of sunshine per day and afternoon shade, whether you take advantage of a tree or building, or are planning on putting up shade cloth.

Raised beds are an option if your soil is just too rocky, or if caliche is a problem in your area.  Keep in mind several things.  Raised beds dry out quicker so you will be watering more often, you will have to import top soil to fill them (and make sure it really is top soil as otherwise you will end up with excavated soil that has no nutritional value), you will have to be careful about using treated lumber for the edges as it contains arsenic.  Concrete blocks will leach lime into the bed, and plants don’t like that either.  You will also probably end up turning the soil by hand, as it is difficult to rototill inside a raised bed.  My preference is to just work with what you have, but there are cases where raised beds are the only option.

The garden will need to be fenced against rodents and snakes, and if you are in a very rural area also javalina and deer.  Even if you have a fence or wall, keep in mind that ground squirrels can climb walls and ground squirrels, rabbits and javalina will dig under fences to get after your garden bounty.  Some snakes can climb fences and walls, so they need to be tall enough to discourage this.  Snakes can slip through a 1” opening, so you will need to secure the gate openings as well.

Secure the bottom of gate with hardware cloth and by burying bricks on end so rodents can't dig under.

If you live in an area where rabbits, ground squirrels and snakes have the potential for being a problem, you will need to erect a fence at least 4’ tall.  Use fence with 2” x 4” openings, and add 3’ tall ¼” hardware cloth or ½” chicken wire to the fence, burying at least 12” underground. Bend at least a 6" of the bottom into an L shape, to deter rodents from digging under.  If javalina are a potential problem, you will need to reinforce the bottom of the fence with barbed wire.  If deer could be a problem, your fence will need to be 8’ tall.

Also keep in mind where you will be storing composting materials.  If you plan on obtaining large quantities of animal manure or storing straw and other composting supplies, you will need a place where a vehicle can access, and close enough to the garden so you aren’t making tons of wheelbarrow trips.  You also don’t want it to offend the neighbors, so try to keep it out of sight, if possible.

You will need one or more hose bibs near by for irrigation. If your garden is going to be fairly large, count on at least 2 for convenience sake.

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