Growing Vegetables

Once you have collected all of the information and data associates with your choice of vegetables and their needs  and dates you can sit down to start formulating your garden plan. The size of your garden depends on the space you have available and the amount you want to grow. Just remember that the larger the garden the more work is required. So if you are starting your first garden or have limited time its best to start small. As your ability develops you can scale your garden accordingly. .

Before you start hammering out the exact details and dimensions refer to the list of vegetables you are planting and the space required for each. This can give you an overall area to shoot for when laying the garden out. If your crop list area will fit in your allotted space then you can start with the actual plan.

It is easiest to work with graph paper. Decide what the scale will be or what size each square represents. Remember your garden design can conform to whatever shapes it needs to to make the most use of your space and surroundings. Don’t forget to sketch in the non-vegetable objects around your garden such as houses, rocks or trees. Watch the shade lines over the area you want to plant and make note of which areas receive sunlight and for how long, avoid areas that drain poorly or have no sun exposure.

It is best to design your garden in a three stage plan.

1. Garden at planting time

2. Garden in the summer

3. Garden in the fall

• Divide the plot in to the different vegetables you want to grow.
• You need to note the planting dates, number of plants and the space required for each.
• In laying out the vegetables put taller plants on the north side so they can provide shade to the garden.
• If possible use straight rows they are easier to water, weed and cultivate.
• If using a tiller make sure the rows are wide enough to accommodate it.
• In smaller gardens its space efficient to plant in wide rows or solid blocks.
• Take advantage of vertical space by using trellises instead of spreading across the ground
• Indicate if each plant is from seed or a transplant.