Trying To Find Direction (Guest Post)

Editor's Note:  This is #2 in a series by guest blogger Sheryl (@yardfanatic) about her transition from the Pacific Northwest to the Lone Star State. You can see more of her work over at her blog, Yard Fanatic.

The first thing I did when I moved into my new house was to determine where the sun was.

Wait, you ask, don’t you live in Austin? The SUN IS RIGHT OUTSIDE. I know that, but it is important to know WHERE outside it is. It’s not enough to know it’s up in the sky and it’s a great fiery orb. The direction of the sun is very important when you plan the garden. The difference between morning and afternoon sun can determine a watering schedule, how quickly things ripen, and even frost tolerance. So I got out my trusty compass and found out for sure which way were North, South, East, and West. What I learned was that the front of my house faced northeast. This meant that my open back yard would have sun almost all day, and my front yard with the lovely Ash trees would have some afternoon sun in spots.

From Austin Yard

Clearly, the main food production will be in back. Which is great because that means my cedar fence will keep out wandering neighborhood dogs. Here’s a list of my working ideas based upon direction.

South.

1. All my apple and pear trees will be planted along the fence.
2. Raised beds for vegetables
3. Herb garden – concentration on Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, and garlic because they can take the heat.
4. Two orange trees next to the house to take advantage of radiant heat.

West.

1. A Meyer Lemon and Satsuma Mandarin will go next to the house, again to grab radiant heat for those occasional frosty mornings. I can plant squash or melons at their feet because both of those love to absorb warmth.
2. A kumquat in a smaller planting strip in front. This area gets afternoon light because the westerly track of the sun gathers the full skirts of tree shade and drapes it onto the house. I could probably get away with planting sugar peas, broccoli, kale, and chard in these areas.

East.

1. Loquats. They can tolerate a little shade in the afternoon, and at their feet I can plant my kale, broccoli, and Swiss chard.

North.

1. I’ve got another planting strip in front that gets a little light. I can put arugula, salad greens and peas here.

Now that I know where the sun is, it’s a lot easier to choose what to plant from the myriad of choices. But most important, I now know the best place to put my lawn chair. A girl’s going to need a break from all that gardening!