Gardening: 5 Steps to Planning The Perfect Veggie Garden

Have you ever dreamed of owning a veggie garden? Growing veggies is a great hobby that has lots of health benefits.  With these steps, you can plan just what to do so you can start your garden.

1. Where Will You Grow Your Veggies?

Deciding where to plant your garden is the very first step you should consider. An area with lots of sunshine is ideal. Based off of what type  you want to have, the size could vary. You need to take that into account before you choose where to plant it. If you do not have enough space for one particular type, you might be able to find a couple ideal spots in your yard, and then choose to have a few different types of vegetable gardens throughout.

Do not forget to check relative elevation and soil drainage. Do not put your veggies at the low spot of your yard. That could result in drowned vegetables when the rain comes. If your soil naturally saturates quickly, then you might want to consider raised beds and drainage systems. On the other hand, if your soil dries out quickly, be sure to have good irrigation systems, or at least water your plants often. Your soil is the most important part, so consider it when you plan for it.

2. What Will You Plant?

Before you start breaking ground and digging out the area that you will use, you should consider what you will plant. When prreparing, take these seven factors into account:

Adaptations

Make sure the veggies you want to plant are adapted to your environment. If the plant you really want is adapted to an environment that you cannot create, start looking for hybrids. Hybrids can have the characteristics of the veggie you want, and they may be adapted to your environment. If you choose a plant that does not grow well in your environment, know that the chances of it growing can be low. To ensure better chances of a good harvest, you may want to consider having many different types of plants, or many plants of the same type.

Appearance

How will your plant look? Will it have vibrant colors? Will it look amazing when ripe and ready to eat? These are good things to consider. If you want colorful veggies, be acquainted with the appearance of the them before and during maturity.

How Well It Cooks and Stores

After your veggies are ripe and picked, they will have to be stored or cooked. Some vegetables can be frozen well, while others can’t. Some will be fine just sitting in your pantry. Before you harvest your plants, be sure you know how to store them and how to cook them, as you do not want your produce to rot or cook poorly.

Days to Maturity

This is the number of days it takes a plant to reach maturity from its seed. If you have a short summer, you will need to know your veggies’ days to maturity so you can plan for a good harvest.

Pest Resistance

Some plants have their own natural pest resistance. If your plants do not have a natural pest resistance, put plants that have that characteristic close to them.

Plant Size

You will definitely want to know the size of your plant at maturity. If you have a small space, or are planting in containers, choose smaller plants of dwarf versions. You do not want to crowd out your plants, leaving them with little sunshine or no space to spread roots.

Taste

Of course, taste might be the characteristic you have been thinking about from the start. It is very important, so try out different types of vegetables before you plant them. Consider hybrids, as they can bring out the best characteristics of a certain plant. Also, know that if a particular veggie is especially tasty, it might be that way for animals and plants. Find the right-tasting plants, and be sure you can keep pests and animals out.

3. Seeds or Plants?

You must also decide if you want to buy sprouts or seeds. If you do not have much experience, then you might want to buy sprouts. Germinating a seed can be very hard, so having it already done for you can be relieving.

If you want to go for seeds, you will have to look up germination times for them. Also, you should consider what type of seeds you want. Will they be heirloom? Will you take them from a wild vegetable or from a vegetable you bought from the store? You may even choose to get seeds imported. For ideas, here are some ideas for seeds.

4. How Will You Design Your Garden?

Now you should decide the design of your garden. You have the location, and you know what plants you will plant, so it is time to plan out the area more. If your yard is medium to large, then you should consider walkways. What types? You can have dirt, mulch, or paved walkway. To add more style, you can also have fences, gates, and arches. Be sure to know if you will use raised beds or not. Once you have an idea of everything, start drawing out a floor plan. Be detailed, and include which plants go where. Do not forget to label everything!

5. When Will You Plant?

Harvest is generally in the summer for plants, as that is the prime time for plant growth. You should know your plants’ days to maturity, so that you can start planting them at varying times for a scheduled harvest. Some plants may have different harvest times, so be sure that you research each type of veggie that you want to grow.

I hope you loved this article. If so, then you should check out more of them at planandorganize.com. With a large range of topics, there is something that will interest everyone.

 

Sources:

Nardozzi, Charlie. Vegetable Gardening for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009. Digital.

https://www.thespruce.com/planning-and-starting-a-vegetable-garden-1403184

https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plans/vegetable/vegetable-garden-plans/