New Location, New Garden

We recently decided to move from California to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  The reasons are many (taxes, crowds, etc.), but what we are going to miss is the year around growing season we had in Southern California.  Even though we had such a small garden, the use of vertical hydroponics, rain gutter growing, raised beds, etc. allowed us to have a very productive garden that produced most of our greens and herbs.

This new location is going to be very different.  We do have a lot more land.  But, it is on a barrier island where the soil is mostly sand, isn’t very fertile for growing food, very salty, and there can be severe storms.This post is one of many that will chronicle the birth and life of a new garden.  I am sure we will make some wrong turns and have failures, but that is part of the fun and challenge.

You can see, our property is right on the water.  It is on the “Sound Side” of the island.  Meaning it is on the backside of the island.  It mostly consists of salt marshes.

Before we left California, we had multiple Ghost and Carolina Reaper pepper plants started.  Since we were getting ready to move during summer planting season, I kept them in pots and they are a bit stunted in growth.  But they made the trip in a car across country.

One nice thing, is that the house has an existing garden.  It isn’t great, but it is boxed in.  What I plan on doing is building a better frame around this and then make it a greenhouse.  My plans then are to put a hydroponic/aquaponics wicking bed system in here

The yard is pretty much empty.  I also want to figure out what type of ground cover we can use here.  noodling over that now.

It is quite beautiful here.  But, gardening will be a challenge.  I look forward to that!