Proper Vegetable Garden Design

National CSA Directory February 26, 2019

You have probably sketched a garden layout or two in your time. The question is was it a proper vegetable garden design? There are a few questions to ask to make sure that your time spent garden planning is as productive as possible.

How to space your garden?

One of the most common mistakes gardeners make in their vegetable garden design is trying to put too many plants into their gardens, which results in overcrowding and as the plants get bigger they compete for the best nutrients resulting in a light harvest.

What is the best way to layout your plants?

It’s usually necessary to rearrange the plants on a plan until you achieve a suitable layout. Be sure to consider both the size of plants when they are fully grown, and their growing needs; for example, sprawling mellon should be at the edge of vegetable beds so they don’t smother other crops, leafy items like summer lettuce benefit from the shade of taller plants and sweet corn should always be grown in blocks rather than a single row so they can naturally pollinate.

When is the best time to plant?

It’s important to know the best times for planting each plant variety in your area. Some crops such as peppers and tomatoes should be started off in green houses of sorts or indoors several weeks before your last frost. Crops such as squash can’t be planted until outside temperatures are reliably warm.

What might go wrong?

Big blocks of single crops can easily be attacked by pests such as aphids. So don’t forget to include flowering plants to attract beneficial insects such as lady bugs in your plan, or a sudden hot spell might cripple young plants unless you have planned adequate irrigation.

All this vegetable garden design can be done using a sketch pad, but this can be time-consuming. It becomes increasingly complicated the more plants you grow.

Planning your garden will ensure you’ve got all the information you need to start your plants at the best time. This will give them the best chance of survival through the growing season.