Vegetable Gardening, Part 1: Plan and Prepare
There are lots of great reasons to grow your own veggies and herbs, as I’ve written about here, but sometimes getting started can be a little daunting. In my 30+ years of gardening experience (not including growing up with gardens) I’ve learned the hard way with a few things! I hope this will save you the trouble of making the same mistakes I’ve made.
If you don’t have much space or live in an apartment, there are still ways to grow a few things. Many veggies and herbs can be grown in pots on a patio or deck as long as it gets enough sunlight. Or you can grow a few herbs in a sunny window in the house. Sometimes a neighbor will welcome a garden in an unused space on their property, or there are community gardens that can be shared with neighbors. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Here are some things to plan, prep and keep in mind before you start planting.
1. Start Small: I was in my early twenties with 3 kids under the age of 4 when I planted my first garden on my own. We tilled up a section of the backyard, approximately 20 x 40 feet. I swear there were more rocks than dirt and we picked piles of big rocks out of it for years! And when you till up the grass, you’ve got all those grass roots still in there wanting to grow. Oh my…the weeding!! The work was overwhelming. Not to mention I waaay overplanted some things, underestimating its capacity to produce. We couldn’t give enough zucchini away!
So do yourself a favor and start small and keep it simple. There’s a learning curve. And if you do like I did and till up the grass rather than building raised beds and/or bringing in good soil, it often takes time for your soil to become ideal and your garden to thrive. You can always expand later. I eventually expanded my space three times, more than doubling my original space, once I got it dialed in.
Farmer’s Almanac suggests starting with a plot size of 16 x 10 foot or smaller. It’ll partly depend on how much time and work you want to put into it, how many mouths you’re feeding and if you intend on doing any preserving, such as canning, freezing or dehydrating. It’s still a good idea to keep it small, simple and manageable for the first year or two.
2. Location: Your garden is going to need plenty of direct sunlight, a minimum of 6 hours a day. A little afternoon shade is okay but for most plants the more sun the better. Pay attention to how much sun an area gets at different times of day before choosing a location. You’ll also need a nearby water source.
3. Method: There are different types of garden beds and methods to use, depending on personal preference and what suits your needs and space. There are pros and cons for each method. Instead of going into details on this post, please see my post here for more information on choosing a method and getting started.
4. Plan Ahead: You’ll want to put some thought into the type of veggies you want to grow. Start small with a few of your favorites and then add a couple new veggies each year. You’ll need to know how much room to allow for each type of plant and the quantity it’ll likely produce to get an idea of how much to plant. That comes with a little research, trial and error and experience. Have your seeds and a few basic gardening tools ready and organized.
5. Map It: It’s a good idea, especially with a larger garden, to map it out to make room for what you want to grow and allow enough space between plants, rows and sections. Early every spring I map out my garden to scale on graph paper. Once I have it laid out, I get my measuring tape, garden stakes and string, stake it out and label according to my map. It keeps my rows and sections straight and tidy. I also know from my map how many seedlings to start ahead of time or starts to buy and exactly where they’ll be going in the garden.
6. Crop Rotation: Another advantage to mapping it is that it’s important to rotate your crops from one year to the next. For instance, if you plant tomatoes in the same spot every year, they’ll become more susceptible to pests and diseases. I keep all my old maps and refer to the year or two prior to prevent planting in the same spot.
7. Companion Planting: Did you know some plants are great friends and some don’t get along at all? It has to do with the types of pests and diseases plants attract and/or competition for the same nutrients. For example, onions and dill repel pests that are usually attracted to cabbage and broccoli, so if you plant them together you have fewer pest problems.
Marigolds and nasturtiums make a beautiful colorful border around the garden, attract bees and pollinators, and help repel harmful insects. Sunflowers attract birds that eat their seeds and also eat pesky bugs. All are easy to grow from seed.
Nasturtium flowers and leaves are one of many edible flowers. They have a nice peppery flavor that I love to add to salads, soups and stir fries.
8. Soil: Good nutrient rich soil is critical for healthy plants. If you’re doing raised beds and bringing in soil, make sure it’s a good organic 3-way mix. If you’re tilling up a spot, you’ll want to add plenty of compost and possibly other soil amendments. If in doubt, ask someone at your garden center or you can take a soil sample in to your local extension office to have it tested.
9. Seeds and Starts: Many plants will do fine from seed sown directly into the garden, such as peas, beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, root veggies and leafy greens. Some need a little head start if you have a shorter growing season so it’s wise to start seeds indoors or in a greenhouse up to 6 weeks earlier, such as tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, peppers and melons. Or you can buy plant starts and transplant them into the garden, but it’s not as cost effective.
Purchase quality, preferably organic, non-GMO seeds and store in a cool, dry area. I love heirloom varieties that pop with flavor and tend to do better overall. I have good luck with most of my unused seeds being viable for 2-3 years or more if stored properly. Eventually you won’t have to buy much seed if you learn to save seeds from your own plants.
10. When to Plant: This will depend on the region and zone you live in. Here in Spokane, WA we have a cooler, later spring than other parts of the state. Look up the zone you live in for more specifics.
The rule of thumb is to wait till after the last chance of frost to plant directly in the garden. As mentioned, get a head start a few weeks before with veggies that take a longer growing season. Some plants don’t mind cooler temps and can be planted a little earlier than others. I usually plant onions, potatoes and root veggies first, and then brassicas (cabbage family), peas and leafy greens. Beans, squash and cucumbers tend to need warmer temps to germinate, as well as setting out tomato and pepper starts. There are usually planting instructions on most seed packets.
11. Wall-O-Water: Many years ago I found an exception to the rule above. Wall-O-Water is like a water-filled mini greenhouse that fits right over the plant. It protects the plants from cooler temps, keeping them warm and cozy and gives them a nice head start. I often set my tomato and pepper plants out up to 6 weeks before most people do without fear of a frost zapping them. Wall-O-Waters are inexpensive, easy to set up and take down, requires little space for storage and will last many years. If it springs a leak there are easy to use repair tubes that slip into the damaged area.
My husband filling up a Wall-O-Water around a tomato plant. Invert a 5-gallon bucket over the plant to hold it upright to fill, then remove the bucket. It’s easy!
12. Moon Phases: When I first started gardening I had a friend tell me about planting with the phases of the moon. After trying it myself and doing some experimenting I was convinced! I noticed especially with peas, beans, corn and squash that if I planted in the wrong phase they came up sporadically and didn’t do well. After replanting in the right moon phase they’d all come up and do great!
Since I have a large garden I plant it in stages. Every year I refer to the Farmer’s Almanac planting calendar for the best times to plant each type of crop depending on the phases of the moon. I make note of these dates on my garden map and create a planting schedule. The basic rule of thumb is to plant root crops when the moon is waning, after the full moon as its light diminishes. Above ground crops do better after the new moon in the waxing phase as the moonlight grows brighter. It’s not a good time to plant on or around a full or new moon.
Be sure and read Part 2 here for gardening methods and prepping your garden beds. Once you’ve got the planning and prep work done you’re ready to start planting! I’ll have Part 3: Planting Tips, coming soon!
