Planning Your Vegetable Garden: 5 Things You Need to Know - Schwartz Greenhouse (2024)

Vegetable gardening is a great way to cut down on food costs while giving yourself something fun to do throughout the year in your downtime. Fortunately, growing great-tasting vegetables isn’t too difficult once you get the hang of it.

To help you on your road to planning your first vegetable garden, here are a few key things you ought to know:

  1. You need an area with good sunlight. The average food garden in the U.S. is approximately 600 square feet. But you don’t need a lot of space to get started on your vegetable garden. What you do need is a spot in your yard that gets a lot of sunlight and is convenient for you to reach. Good sunlight ensures your vegetables have the right growing conditions they need to give you bushels of veggies.
  2. The soil you use is important. Unless you’re growing native plants, the type of soil you use is essential for your vegetable garden’s success. The soil that’s in the ground doesn’t often have the vitamins and nutrients your vegetable garden needs. Consider the types of vegetables you plan on growing and then research what kind of soil and garden supplies you’ll need.
  3. You need to invest in garden supplies. A vegetable garden requires regular maintenance in order for you to see the fruits of your labor. Look into the types of garden supplies you’ll need throughout the year such as a watering can, which you’ll need on an ongoing basis. Other tasks such as staking and mulching will only need to be done every so often throughout the year.
  4. You can choose both vegetable plants and seeds. You don’t necessarily need to start out with seeds when you’re beginning your vegetable garden. Many gardeners choose to invest in vegetable plants that they can plant directly into their gardens. Consider which option works best for you, or incorporate both plants and seeds into your garden.
  5. Be prepared for pests. When you’re new to vegetable gardening, the threat of potential pests may not seem very big. But pest control is a major part of vegetable gardening. Avoid using chemicals to keep pests at bay. Instead, introduce ladybugs and other creatures to your garden that can help to control garden pests naturally.

Looking for gardening supplies to start your vegetable garden? Schwartz Greenhouse has you covered. Whether you’re vegetable gardening or planting perennials, we have the gardening supplies you need to get your garden up for success. For more information about online ordering for garden supplies, contact Schwartz Greenhouse today.

Planning Your Vegetable Garden: 5 Things You Need to Know - Schwartz Greenhouse (2024)

FAQs

Planning Your Vegetable Garden: 5 Things You Need to Know - Schwartz Greenhouse? ›

Greenhouse vegetable gardening gives an early start to your garden. You need containers, soil, fertilizer, water, and in cool, northern areas, heat and light. Propagation mats under seed flats helps germination by warming the soil. Seeds can also be planted directly into a soil bench warmed by a soil cable.

What are 5 things you should do to prepare a good veggie garden? ›

5 Tips for Planning Your Vegetable Garden
  1. Make space for somewhere to sow, pot up and more. Choose Happy Companions. ...
  2. Choose good companions with care to benefit your crops. Plan Your Watering and Water Storage. ...
  3. Easy access to a water source is essential. Make Easy Access Garden Pathways.
Feb 28, 2020

How to grow a vegetable garden in a greenhouse? ›

Greenhouse vegetable gardening gives an early start to your garden. You need containers, soil, fertilizer, water, and in cool, northern areas, heat and light. Propagation mats under seed flats helps germination by warming the soil. Seeds can also be planted directly into a soil bench warmed by a soil cable.

How to plan your vegetable garden layout? ›

As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.

What plants grow best in a greenhouse? ›

Lettuce, spinach, kale, and mustard greens will all thrive in a greenhouse. You can grow other cool weather crops there too, like carrots, beets, peas, and broccoli. For a long-term addition, consider asparagus. These plants can provide you a continual crop for up to two decades.

What are 5 things you should look for when buying fruits and vegetables? ›

Our top tips when shopping for vegetables and fruit
  • Eat seasonally. Eating in-season means you eat food at its best and it's usually less expensive too. ...
  • Buy locally produced. ...
  • Buy loose. ...
  • Find out which veg and fruit have the highest pesticide residues. ...
  • Buy wonky.

What veggies grow well in a greenhouse? ›

Some winter vegetables that you can grow in your greenhouse include:
  • Endive.
  • Kale.
  • Swiss chard.
  • Parsnips.
  • Rutabagas.
  • Beets.
  • Carrots.
  • Brussels sprouts.
Sep 12, 2022

What not to put in a greenhouse? ›

Plants to Avoid in a Greenhouse. Avoid growing melons and squash, potatoes, sunflowers, radishes and broccoli, corn and tomatoes, cauliflower and broccoli, onions and garlic, marigolds and beans, eggplant in a greenhouse.

What is the easiest vegetable to grow in a greenhouse? ›

Onions. Onions are ideal vegetables to grow in a greenhouse for a number of reasons. They require little attention and care and can be grown year-round in the warmer climate of a greenhouse. Onions require minimal space, making them easy to fit into small greenhouses or those with limited growing areas.

What vegetables grow best together? ›

Which Vegetables Grow Well Together?
VegetableCompanion PlantDon't Plant Together
OnionsBeets, carrots, Swiss chard, lettuce, peppersAll beans and peas
PeasBeans, carrots, corn, cucumbers, radish, turnipGarlic, onions
PotatoesBeans, corn, peasTomatoes
SquashCorn, melons, pumpkinsNone
11 more rows
Jun 26, 2021

What vegetables should not be planted together? ›

14 Vegetables You Should Never Plant Together—Gardening Experts Explain Why
  1. 01 of 14. Beans and Onions. ...
  2. 02 of 14. Tomatoes and Potatoes. ...
  3. 03 of 14. Corn and Tomatoes. ...
  4. 04 of 14. Tomatoes and Brassicas. ...
  5. 05 of 14. Cucumber and Squash. ...
  6. 06 of 14. Lettuce and Celery. ...
  7. 07 of 14. Fennel and Tomatoes. ...
  8. 08 of 14. Peppers and Cabbage.
Jan 16, 2024

How to plant a vegetable garden for beginners? ›

To get started, here are 10 steps recommended by the National Gardening Association.
  1. Choose the right location. ...
  2. Select your veggies. ...
  3. Prepare the soil. ...
  4. Check planting dates. ...
  5. Plant the seeds. ...
  6. Add water. ...
  7. Keep the weeds out. ...
  8. Give your plants room to grow.
Aug 9, 2020

What is the best layout for a greenhouse? ›

Row Layout

You don't have to use rows if you don't want to, but it's basically the universal layout for a greenhouse. People typically place 1 row of benches or plants along each of the longer walls, and a third row of plants or benches in the middle if there's space. A greenhouse “bench” is really just a table.

Can plants get too hot in a greenhouse? ›

First and foremost, it's essential to understand what the perfect temperature for your DIY backyard greenhouse should be. Ideally, anywhere between , 80-85°F (26-29°C) is the golden standard throughout the spring and summer months. Anything higher than 90°F (32°C) is cause for alarm.

What are the four steps you should take when preparing a home garden? ›

4 Steps to Your Vegetable Garden
  1. Step #1 – Decide what you want to plant. There's no need to create a massive garden to grow all your favorite vegetables. ...
  2. Step #2 – Choose an area for your garden. ...
  3. Step #3 – Pick up your materials. ...
  4. Step #4 – Get Planting!

What are four healthy ways to prepare vegetables? ›

So Many Ways to Prepare Vegetables!
  1. Blanching. Plunge vegetables into boiling water for 1–3 minutes and quickly transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process. ...
  2. Braising. Place vegetables in a small amount of liquid such as broth or water. ...
  3. Grilling. ...
  4. Microwaving. ...
  5. Roasting. ...
  6. Shredding. ...
  7. Steaming. ...
  8. Stir-frying.

What are the best conditions for a vegetable garden? ›

Vegetable Gardening Basics
  • Choose a flat, sunny location with well-drained soil. ...
  • Full sun means a minimum of 6 to 8 hours per day and is best for all vegetables. ...
  • The ideal soil is a loam, one whose texture is not too light (sand) or too heavy (clay). ...
  • The following tools are useful in the vegetable garden:

What are three factors that should be used when planning a vegetable garden? ›

As in real estate, the three most important factors to success in vegetable gardening are location, location, and location. You want a location with abundant sunshine, good drainage, away from shrubs and trees and their competing roots, and close to an irrigation source.

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