Country Garden: An Orchard, Vegetables, and Animals on One Plot

3D AI

A country garden isn't just for admiring. It should provide food and space for both work and relaxation. You can often fit in more than you might expect: an orchard, vegetables, chickens, a shed, and a hammock. To keep it from becoming a jumble, you need a plan. In this article, we'll explore the Country Garden example in the homeplot editor. You can open it and adapt it to your own property.

What you'll find in the example

It includes an orchard with sheep and beehives, vegetable beds, currants and gooseberries, a chicken coop, a rabbit hutch, a doghouse, a tool shed, a gazebo, and a hammock. A wire mesh fence with a gate surrounds the garden, and a path runs through it.

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An orchard needs sun, shelter, and a spot free of frost pockets

Fruit needs a sunny, sheltered spot. The UK's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recommends avoiding frost pockets. These are low-lying areas where cold air collects and frost damages blossoms. Wind also makes pollination less effective. A windbreak or hedge creates a warmer spot and protects blossoms from frost.

According to the RHS, suitable locations include:

• the south side for all fruit, especially varieties that need warmth to ripen,
• the west side for raspberries, gooseberries, and currants,
• the east side for pears, apples, plums, sweet cherries, currants, gooseberries, blackberries, and raspberries,
• the shadier north side for fruit that ripens in cooler conditions, such as alpine strawberries or sour cherries.

Fruit trees need a pollination partner: another variety in the same pollination group that flowers at the same time.

How much space fruit trees and bushes need

The space required depends mainly on the rootstock. The RHS gives the following spacing:

When planting near a neighboring property, check local regulations, too. As a general planning guideline, allow 3 m from the shared boundary for trees that typically grow taller than 3 m, and 1.5 m for smaller trees. You'll find more details in the guide How to Design a Garden Step by Step.

Put vegetables in the sunniest spot

Place vegetable beds where they will get the most hours of sunlight. According to the RHS, the south or west side of the garden is best. A width of around 1.2 m lets you reach the center from either side. For instructions, see How to Create a Garden Bed on a Lawn.

Keep the work area to one side and give the seating area a view

Place the shed, compost bin, and wood store close to the path. That way, you won't have to carry tools or logs, or push a wheelbarrow, across the lawn. Keep them away from windows, too. Put the gazebo or hammock where you'll have the best view of the garden and shade on summer afternoons. In the example, the gazebo stands in a corner by the fence, and the hammock hangs under the trees.

Choose a fence and position the gate

A country garden with animals needs a fence that keeps them in. In the editor, you can choose wire mesh fencing, livestock fencing, a picket fence, a solid board fence, a stone wall, or gabions. You can then place a gate directly on the fence.

Adapt the example to your property

Open the example from New Project and adjust whatever you need: the plot shape, the house position, and the tree varieties. Walk through it in 3D and check what you'll see from the patio. Finally, generate an AI photo. The editor is free, an AI photo costs 5 credits, and you get 10 credits to start.

Sources

• RHS: Planning a fruit garden
• RHS: Get to know your garden
• RHS: No-dig gardening
• Tree planting distances from property boundaries: consult your local property and boundary regulations.