Steps to Planning and Starting a Vegetable Garden

If you’ve never done a vegetable garden before you’re going to find this to be a very fun project. Growing vegetables is essentially much easier than other crops. Growing delicious taking vegetables is a great way to save money and stay healthy but it will require a bit of planning and effort on your behalf. Below are a few steps to getting started with the planning process.

Measure the Space

Whether you’re going to use a small area in your yard or a large acre of land you’re going to need to know exactly where you will be starting your garden. While it might seem best to go with a larger space, you want to start with a manageable sized garden so that you don’t waste time, money, or resources. Remember you can always expand once you’re comfortable with handling more.

Select a Gardening Method

Many are unaware that there are different methods of growing vegetable gardens. There is square foot gardening, raised beds, French intensive, and row gardening. You don’t have to stick with the latest trends if you don’t want to. Conduct a bit a research on each method to determine what the pros and cons are and then select which works best for you.

Create Your Design

So the next order of business is to write down what you want your vegetable garden to look like. How many paths are you considering? What hardscapes are you going to add? Create a sketch of the gardening area and begin planning out exactly how you want the space to look so that you can easily begin looking for supplies.

Create a Calendar

In most cases it is best to have a calendar for the months of February through June. This is the timeframe in which you can begin your seeds and start planting for the spring and summer garden to begin blooming. For those interested in a Fall garden it should take you through to October before the first frost takes place. Once you know what your last frost date is mark the calendar every two weeks prior to that date to make it easier once you begin planting.

Make a List of Supplies Needed

The last order of business is to make a list of supplies and equipment that you’re going to need in order to plant your vegetable garden. Typical equipment might include heating mats, composts, mulches, shovels, lights, pots, seed starting mix, and more. You will need to research the necessary supplies based on the type of gardening style you chose.

Once you’ve gotten all of the supplies that you will need for your garden, all that is left to do is determine which types of vegetables you want to see grow. You can go to your local grocery store or department store and find seed there, you can order them from a reputable online vendor, or you can also order them from a gardening catalog and have them shipped right to your door. Once you have your seeds, the planning process is complete and the dirty work starts.

When Should I Start Planning My Garden?

If you’re new to vegetable gardening there is a lot you need to learn about the planning process. There are particular times of year when it is best to plant gardens and if you’re not fully aware of this you could end up wasting a lot of energy, time, and money. Aside from knowing exactly when to plant your garden there are other basics that include selecting a site to plant, measuring the plot size, determining which vegetables you’re going to grow, and making the actual design.

One of the most common errors made by novice gardeners is planting too many vegetables before the actual planting season begins. This leaves them with more vegetables than anyone can eat. It is important to keep in mind that its best to start with a small garden than a large one that turns out to be a waste and a disappointment. Below are some other basics you should know about when to plan your gardening.

Timing is Everything

Below are a few of the basics that should be consider when deciding on when to plan a vegetable garden. With growing crops it is important to keep in mind that timing is everything and growing vegetables too soon or too late could really be the worst thing you could do.

Obtaining First and Last Frost Dates

Check a reputable site such as the almanac for the first and last frost dates in your area. The dates you find are typical averages for light frost. Keep in mind that local weather could cause these dates to vary just a bit so checking back periodically is an ideal choice. Chances of frost happening after the spring and prior to fall are about 50percent. Below is a ideal definition for each frost category. Remember that these categories are based on how the temperatures will affect plants.

Light Freeze

This is 29 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. While tender plants can easily be killed there is little or no effect on other forms of vegetations.

Moderate Freeze

This is between 25 and 28 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures are seriously dangerous on most vegetation types with particular severe damage to tender plants, semi hardy plants, and fruit blossoms.

Severe Freeze

This is between 24 degrees Fahrenheit and colder. These temperatures are severely detrimental to all plant life.

Now that you have a general meaning, check the farmer’s almanac to determine when these dates are for you in your location as they vary around the US. These dates should be marked on a calendar for reminders of planting and harvesting.

When to Plant

When trying to figure out the best time to begin planting your seeds in the spring you should pay close attention to the last spring frost as this is essential to successful planting. Other factors to consider would be the temperature of the soil, slope and altitude of the land, length of daylight, and nearby waters.

By keeping a decent record of your garden and how it grows each year, you can make a determination the following years as to when to start planning and planting.