Garden Tour: Reducing the Overwhelm on a New Family Homestead

So, you’ve got the dream: a charming little garden, a cozy chicken coop, maybe a tidy shed or even a small barn, and a compost system that works like magic. You’ve pinned all the pins, watched all the reels, and now… you’re stuck. Completely paralyzed by decisions.

Should the coop go near the garden for easy composting? Should the shed go by the barn or the house? Should you even get a barn yet? It’s like the world’s most complicated (and muddy) game of Tetris.

That’s where I met Lauren. She and her husband Jerod had dreamed and made a few decisions, but were stuck in that crazy land of analysis paralysis. They had purchased a chicken coop and wanted chickens, but should the chickens be able to get into the garden? (The answer is no.) They had purchased a greenhouse, but it needed water access.(And, gosh, how does one even use a greenhouse?! It’s going to get hot, right?) They had space for raised beds, but there were deer everywhere all of the time. At this point, Lauren had total decision fatigue. She had beautiful greens growing in her new greenhouse, but nowhere to plant them for spring.

Sidewalk to nowhere. The garden project on pause.

It may seem strange to say, but when I saw the work that Lauren and Jerod had done so far, the garden layout just made sense. It’s like they had found all of the edge pieces of a puzzle, and my job was to take it from there. The entrance had already been set with that concrete sidewalk in the photo. Pathways would be at least 4 feet wide to maintain that common size.

The need for a fence in the yard was obvious; we were staring down deer as I measured in early February. But there’s no need to spend a fortune to protect the entire yard; let’s just focus on the garden. Lauren had already started purchasing climbing roses, so we knew were were going to need trellising for the roses to climb. This is another place where the fence came in handy, as climbing roses can drape and flower in a gorgeous sheet. We chose to place climbing roses on the corners of the garden, and add planters for the roses to thrive.

Double gates at back allow easy access to the shed

I wanted to ensure that the garden was easy to pass through while on chicken duty or lawn moving, so our pathway to the chicken coop stayed wide, at almost five feet. The three doors were also considered carefully— we have a front entrance, and then an entrance to the chicken coop, and finally a large double door at the back.

Wth three kids and a busy schedule, Lauren needs a garden that is easy to clean up a the end of the day, and we installed both a sink in the greenhouse and a Hoselink hose house for breezy hose put-away. The hoselink makes clean up into a Mary Poppins style game.

Fiinally, becuase of those same three kids and a busy schedule, Lauren generally needs a place to find solace. We put room for seating in three separate spots. She has a centerpiece with a cafe table, a shaded area on the North side of the green house and a dinnertime spot on the Sunny south side.

Installation complete. We’ve centered the garden on the greenhouse.

The thing is: this garden is still unfinished. No one else would notice the blank spaces, but Lauren wants room to grow into her new hobby: blueberry bushes? There’s room for those. Cut flowers? Sure! Pick a spot and start seeding! Now that we have a structure for Lauren and Jerod to work within, they can feel like their project is complete, but also have the freedom to add to the garden later.

Remember: You're Allowed to Be New at This

We have many clients who are starting little homesteads, and one thing is certain: overwhelm is normal. Especially when you care deeply about creating something that feels good, functions well, and will grow with you. The trick is learning how to move forward anyway—without burning out or breaking ground on the wrong project.

And hey—if you want a buddy to help you dream, sketch, or troubleshoot? That’s literally what I love to do. At Tennessee Kitchen Gardens, we believe in starting small, starting smart, and starting with joy.

Let’s build something beautiful—one thoughtful step at a time.