You want to grow delicious food on your windowsill, in your backyard, or at a local community garden. The obvious first step is to sketch out where you want your plants to go and do research on which ones grow well together. However, there are other factors to consider when it comes to the layout of your vegetable garden besides companion planting and aesthetics. Let’s dig into them.
How to Layout Your Vegetable Garden For Long-term Success
Just because your garden looks beautiful doesn’t mean it will produce good food. If you want to set your garden up for success and abundance long term, there are a few basic concepts for you to know before you start planting.
Know the sun
How much sunlight does the food planting area of your garden get during the growing season? Full sun lovers want no less than 6 hours of direct sun whereas part sun/part shade prefer 3-6 hours of sunlight. Then some plants enjoy the cooler sunlight from the first half of the day rather than the hotter afternoon sun exposure.
Two other terms to better understand the sun are:
Dappled sun: filtered sunlight
Shade: no direct sunlight
Amend the soil with compost
Healthy soil is vital if you want to grow good food. By adding compost to the existing soil, you add beneficial soil microbiology that assists with healthy plant root growth. Compost also grows a more resilient plant, reduces the need for pesticides, and assists with the water-holding capacity. These are all good things that help you grow happier plants.
Feed with organic fertilizers
And those plants need nutrients of their own to grow! I like to add dry organic fertilizer to the planting hole when I seed. As the plants grow, I feed them with a good quality liquid organic fertilizer that I mix with water in my watering can (as the label recommends). I feed once or twice a month depending on the plant and the fertilizer’s application recommendations.
Water the root zone
Water deeply and allow the soil to dry out as the plants mature, according to the irrigation needs once established. Also, increase volume and reduce frequency as plants mature. However, if you notice whiteflies, it’s often a sign that the soil isn’t drying out enough between waterings. Continue to water deeply, but reduce the frequency.
The Best Way to Layout a Vegetable Garden: 5 Considerations
Each gardener’s idea of the best way to plan out your vegetable garden is different. That’s because there are certain considerations to keep in mind. Let’s dig into the 5 most important as you lay out your garden and prepare to plant some mouthwatering vegetables.
1. How much space do you have vs how much food would you like to grow?
Start small if you can. When you do, you can manage the crops with ease – from planting to harvesting to preservation. This might look like using half-barrel planters or a large pot that drains well.
You also want to be realistic about the amount of time you have to tend to your food garden. A beginner gardener may want to start with between 25-100 sq ft of growing space in a raised bed or two. This requires about 15-60 minutes a week to keep up with and will produce a manageable harvest for you to enjoy!
As an experienced gardener, I grow in raised beds that are 3 ft x 8 ft (24 sq ft). I have 8 raised beds that allow me to rotate annual food crops. I estimate weekly care is about 2 hours, which I can easily manage during my very busy spring work schedule.
2. Are you planting in the ground?
If you’re planting in the ground, are there gophers in a neighboring yard? If so, they will come and find any plants not protected in gopher baskets. If you grow in raised beds like I do, secure ½ inch of hardware cloth or gopher wire to the bottom.
3. Will your garden have raised beds?
One benefit of raised beds is lining the bottom with gopher wire to prevent them from coming in. You can also isolate the water to the raised bed. This makes raised beds much more water-efficient and helps you grow a water-wise garden.
5. Are you growing in a container?
Containers are ideal for patios, decks, or smaller garden layouts. They share similar benefits to raised beds because you can isolate the water and more easily protect against unwanted pests.
I’ve found that the bigger the container, the better. I used a wide galvanized tub from the hardware store to plant vegetables. Just make sure the containers have drainage holes – I drilled mine myself. Throughout the season, check to ensure the water is draining with ease. It’s common for the drainage holes to clog up.
If containers are your option then have a look at Renee’s collection of seeds for containers.
5. What do you want to grow?
Whatever food you enjoy the most, grow that! In my garden, the early spring crops I planted are:
Alliums like onions and shallots
Potatoes
Leafy greens like chard, kale, and lettuce
Carrots, beets, and peas
But there are others as well. What you plant will depend on factors like how quickly you want to harvest after planting, the amount of space you have, and the level of maintenance or resources required.
Here are some of the different types of plants you can choose for your vegetable garden:
Annual food crops: These plants’ lifecycle happens in one year. They provide food pretty quickly. Plant from seed to harvest can happen in a few weeks. If you’ve seen the reference to “rotating crops,” this is about annual food crops.
Perennial food crops: These have a lifecycle of 2 years or longer, which is why I recommend planting them in a permanent location. These use the least amount of resources like water. Once established, they require low maintenance. Fertilizers and water throughout the year but less than annual food crops.
Bare root season plants: These are economical to purchase because they’re younger plants that take a few years to get established. This is a great way to introduce deciduous fruit trees and berries to your garden.
Garden herbs: You can plant both annual and perennial herbs.
6. Don’t forget the flowers
Planting flowers in and around your food garden not only looks pretty, but it has plenty of other benefits as well. Flowers attract important beneficial insects that keep pests in check as well as pollinators who help increase your crop yields. I love adding French marigolds, cosmos, sunflowers, and sweet alyssum around my food garden. I also let my herbs go to flower because they are micro-pollinator magnets.
Ways We Can Grow Together
Need help coming up with a plan for your vegetable garden? That’s what I’m here for!
My fine gardening service is available to North Bay area locals who want guidance on their garden’s layout and proper plant selection so they can grow delicious vegetables and happy plants.
