a day in the life of a latvian mom

With the pallet collars at home, it’s time to dive into the layout! I want the garden to be both practical and beautiful — easy to care for, full of life, and a joy to walk through or have a chair in it to sit and enjoy.

To plan it out, I used GrowVeg – I looked into other options, but this one worked for me the best! GrowVeg helped me visualize the space and organize everything neatly. I’m not sure, who will help me in real life… but let’s start with the layout “on the paper”.

I’m thinking of using a single-pallet collar for smaller crops like strawberries, lettuce, radishes, herbs, and onions, and double-pallet collars for larger plants with deeper root systems. I’d also love to add some vertical elements, like arches for peas, beans, and cucumbers — not to save space (I have plenty), but to create some vertical accents in the garden.

Wide enough paths between beds will make it easy to move around, and I’m thinking of covering them with gravel or wood chips to keep the garden tidy.

Since the soil here is heavy clay, I’m sticking with no-dig gardening — layering cardboard, branches, and good soil inside the pallet collars without disturbing the ground underneath. I know it’s an investment, but there’s no rush; I don’t have to create the whole garden in just one year.

This is just the beginning — can’t wait to share the next steps as the garden takes shape!

Ilze