Orchyard Mapping

[Kelby]

There's often discussion on the best way to map and label things. I made a map in the Google Draw application that I think is nice, a lot of little things in the program that made this easy to make. I've been using spreadsheets, I like this a lot more though the spreadsheets allow for more information to be listed.

[jkuo]

Great minds think alike! I also used Google Draw to map out my yard. I haven't updated my map since the early summer, so it's currently a little outdated. I almost went the Visio route, but I decided I didn't need anything that fancy. Google Draw seems sufficient.

[aphahn]

I did something similar a few years ago. I scanned the lot survey from when we bought the house and drew the planting, sprinklers, ect on top of that. I'll have to look at moving it to google draw, as the tool I used is no longer easy to install it is hard to maintain now.

[efletche]

I've been racking my head on where I want to plant things. I will definitely have to look into this program. It might just save me my last few hairs on my head! Thanks for posting this.

[eboone]

I was just looking at Google maps-my house and lot are nicely detailed on it. Wonder if I can copy from that to Google Draw? On my phone now, will need to wait to get to a real comp to check

[growcrazie]

thanks, this is just what I need

[JohnnyK]

That's neat. I'll have to give it a try. I have a ton of things I want to plant next year, so I guess I have all winter to play with the configuration.

[Iowafig]

Great stuff thanks for giving us the idea!

[don_sanders]

I like it.

[71GTO]

How much property do you guys have?

[Kelby]

1/3 acre

[don_sanders]

Mine is only 75' x 129' and heavily shaded. I have a lot packed into a little space. I may have over committed.

[indestructible87]

Kelby, looks like you need you need to get rid of a few maples.
Im sure your yard will be like the garden of eden in a few years.
id like to hear how your persimmons fare this winter as well. especially the Chinebuli.

[Kelby]

Yeah, they were mature when we moved in. The one out front I'm not a fan of, poorly placed. I'm pretty excited about the Chinebuli, Cliff England says it handles -16F.

[71GTO]

That gives me some hope. Our new house is .39 of an acre. I was really hoping for more, but I had to compromise. Happy wife happy life.... I'm pretty shaded as well in the backyard. I'm going to cut down all the trees as soon as I can. I hope I can get some fruit trees going and have a productive back yard

[71GTO]

That's what I need to figure out. If there is something I'll mess up its not laying everything out right. I'm a while away from planting anything. I have a lot of trees to take down and then I need to bring in some top soil. Do you have to wrap the fig hedge?

[Kelby]

This will be the first winter for it, I will be heavily mulching as soon as I have a chance. It is all cut back already.

[71GTO]

Cool hopefully it does well.

[Visceral]

I was just looking at Google maps-my house and lot are nicely detailed on it. Wonder if I can copy from that to Google Draw? On my phone now, will need to wait to get to a real comp to check

Yes you can use google maps. The way I did it was by taking a screenshot of my house on google maps, and then pasting that onto google draw.

If you haven't done a screenshot in a while, usually there is a key on your keyboard labeled "print screen" or something similar. Pressing shift key along with that key will copy whatever is on the screen to your memory. Your keyboard may have a different layout though.

[aphahn]

Well, didn't finish all the detail, but here is my 1/3 acre drawn over the lot survey.
Next year I'm planting figs in the garden along the fence to be grown as step overs for protection.

[jkuo]

Clearly, I'm going to have to redraw my map. The engineer in me is ashamed that my diagram isn't scaled or colored like everyone else's.

[aphahn]

Now see, the engineer in me appreciated the utilitarian simplicity of your drawing. A well executed MVP

[pppldj]

I like this idea and did it with google draw. Much better than the one I did in MS Paint.

[DBJohnson]

Finally got around to doing this. Everything that is light purple is proposed future plantings. The privet plantings will be removed in time. The greenhouse shown is a future project when I can afford it.

[DBJohnson]

Forgot to label the rose colored circles. Those are (surprise!) roses...and the open space to the left of them is where we are working on creating a meditation grove of hybrid willows.

[DBJohnson]

And the little shed behind the house? Yeah, that's gone now. It was falling down anyway and had become a danger. Improves the view of the back yard/garden.

Has anyone sold old weathered barn wood on Craigslist before? LOL!

[71GTO]

Are all you guys using google draw to make the these maps? I'm thinking I am going to try my hand at one.

[DBJohnson]

I did. Imported the satellite image and then drew on top of it.

[Kelby]

I did

[pppldj]

I used the alt + print screen key to copy the satellite image from Google Earth and pasted into MS Paint, trimmed out the neighbor's yards and the street. Then I pasted this into Google Draw and drew on top of it. The satellite picture was 2 years old.

[71GTO]

Thanks that sounds like s good idea, but the statlite pictures out there now of my house is a old picture with all the tree that used to be here. You can barely see the house... I'll see how my drawing skills are I guess.

[71GTO]

Ok, I finally had time to sit down and play around with some drawing programs. The total lot size is .39. This still isn't as detailed or scaled as some of yours, but I think I did ok... Keep in mind that outside of my lot drawing my neighbors all still have a lot of trees and some areas are a little more shaded then others. That back strip seems to be where I get a good amount sun. Also the unlabeled circles are theoretically for other undetermined fruiting plants, vines or trees. I'm trying to stick with trees that I don't have to spray and are good for NJ, but any suggestions for good backyard fruit trees that will do well in NJ are appreciated.

[ers8891]

The first picture is my field orchard and the second pic is my trees near my house.

[PA Figs]

Thanks Kelby, this will make my midnight ninja raid much easier

I always struggle more with what fig goes where. Do you group duplicates or space them to see how different amounts of sun affect them, etc.