← BackGarden Planning
Purpose: convert available land, time, and water into reliable food yield with a simple planting map and schedule.
Do This First
- Measure total grow area and sunlight hours by zone.
- Pick top 5 calorie and protein crops first.
- Draw a bed map with irrigation path and walk lanes.
- Build a month-by-month planting and harvest calendar.
Area Allocation Model
| Category | Area Target | Example Crops | Goal |
|---|
| Calories | 45% | potato, corn, squash | bulk energy |
| Protein | 20% | dry beans, peas | stability and nutrition |
| Nutrient greens | 15% | kale, cabbage, chard | micronutrients |
| Fast rotation | 10% | radish, lettuce, herbs | quick harvest morale |
| Seed and buffer | 10% | seed plots, backup bed | resilience |
Decision Table
| If this happens | Do this now | Backup action | Verify |
|---|
| Late frost risk | Delay warm-season transplants | Use row cover or cloche | No frost-burn after event |
| Water shortage | Prioritize calorie/protein beds | Mulch and drip schedule | Core crops remain viable |
| Pest outbreak | Remove worst affected leaves | Netting + soap spray plan | Damage trend declines in 3 days |
| Labor shortage | Drop lowest yield crops | Concentrate on core beds | Critical harvest targets maintained |
Common Mistakes and Fixes
- Mistake: planting by impulse. Fix: commit to written map.
- Mistake: too many varieties year one. Fix: fewer crops, deeper execution.
- Mistake: no succession planting. Fix: stagger sowings every 2 to 3 weeks.
- Mistake: ignoring path access. Fix: fixed lanes and bed widths.
Scenario Drills
Drill 1: 30 Percent Yield Loss
- Simulate one crop failure.
- Rebalance remaining beds within 1 hour.
- Update food output estimate.
- Goal: preserve 80% annual calorie target.
Drill 2: Delayed Planting Season
- Shift calendar by 3 weeks.
- Swap in shorter maturity varieties.
- Prioritize crops with highest calorie/day yield.
- Goal: maintain harvest continuity.
Printable Checklist
- [ ] Area measured and mapped
- [ ] Crop priorities locked
- [ ] Succession dates marked
- [ ] Water plan defined
- [ ] Pest response kit ready
- [ ] Monthly review schedule active
- [ ] Seed reserve bed assigned
Safety note: do not depend on one crop. Monoculture failure can collapse food security.
QR REASSEMBLY: Scan content QRs in order to reconstruct this page offline.
Scan to open this page:
Offline Content QRs
Scan in order to reconstruct full page text offline.