This is the time of year when all of the seed and plant catalogs are out and many of our local gardeners are literally drooling over all those colorful pages but there should be a warning: Order carefully and strategically!
Because of the limited space that we have at Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Garden we don’t place an order for seeds until we have our garden design for the year arranged and double-checked with dates for planting and spacing. Before you think that this is only for garden organizations. Not true! You should identify your area of attack, I mean gardening, no matter what the size.
I used a garden plan when I was designing my own home garden, primarily because there were so many variables. I had to gather information on what side of my garden had full sun all day, where there was only morning sun and which plants were able to withstand a few nibbles by deer and other critters. You should understand your threats and make them work to your advantage.
Next you have to decide what are the most cost efficient veggies and fruit that you would like to grow and develop a criterion. Are golden cherry tomatoes your thing, do you want to try the lemon cucumbers or how about a trellis of thorn-less blackberries sound? If you have limited space to launch your initial attack you will want to make it count.
So what is the seven-step process in military problem solving? Identify the problem, gather information and knowledge, develop criteria, generate possible solutions, analyze possible solution, compare possible solution, make and implement the decision: Identify, gather information and develop criteria. The next phase is a garden journal or your battle group design! But that is another article for another time.
By Contributing Author: Lovay Wallace Singleton, Founder and Executive Director of the Veterans Employment Base Camp and Organic Carden