this blog will go over the basics of planning a garden, whether you are brand new to gardening, have a very small space to use, or want to try veggies for the first time. this is a very short and simple blurb on a rather exhaustive subject; there are great books and articles written solely on planning a garden and choosing plants for it. this is meant as a good crash course to get you started. the best way to learn is to grow for yourself!
the first thing to decide is the space you have to work with. is it a corner of your landlord's yard? a sunny patio or deck? one large pot on your front step? no matter how small or how nontraditional, decide on a space, get some graph paper, and map it out to scale. THIS IS WHAT I DO, NO MATTER HOW SMALL. it really helps to get a visual sense of the space you have and what will fit in it.
okay, okay, moving on. the second and most important step is to decide what you actually want to grow. you, personally. not what was in peter rabbit's veggie patch. not what your grandma grows every year. not what the garden center has on the first rack you walk by.
a few good rules to think about:
1) grow what you actually like eating. twenty pounds of cauliflower are no good if you gag at the thought of eating one single floret.
2) grow what is cost-effective for you. fresh herbs and heirloom varieties are expensive, even in the summer months. zucchini is relatively cheap to buy, however. if you only have one pot to use, don't fill it up with something that is very inexpensive for you to purchase in a store or a farmer's market. ration your space and use it to the best you can.
3) grow what will actually work in the conditions you have. don't grow tomatoes if you're gardening in a shady, boggy corner of a yard. don't grow an almond tree if you have three windowsill pots to use. obvious, but it bears repeating. research what conditions the plants you like prefer, and give them those, or don't use those plants at all. happy plants are easier to care for and take less time to grow.
once you decide how much space is at your disposal, and what plants you want to grow and are able to grow, sit down with your graph paper and a pencil and figure out where you want to arrange the plants. use common sense; taller plants need to grow in the back of your space. plants that creep or vine can fill in holes or go up front. invasive plants like mint need to be contained in their own space. also keep in mind aesthetics; you can even google photos of what your choices will look like once they grow up, and place them in a way that you think looks good!
if you are planting cold weather crops as well as warmer, summer crops, do two plans; one for early in the year, like right now, and a second one to refer to later on in the season (mid-May) when the cold-weather plants are starting to look tired. that way you can have your warm weather plants picked out and ready to plug in to your garden plot.
for suggestions on some basic veggies and herbs that work in different conditions and climates, see my next blog entry. :)
now that you have your list of what plants you want, head to the garden center, nursery, or farmer's market and pick out some little baby plants to take home with you! keep in mind that little plants grow bigger very rapidly. take into account how big they will be in one month, and two months, and three, when you decide how many of each plant to get. don't fill a barrel with four tomato plants that in another month, will be busting out the sides of it. give your plants breathing room!
a word on seedlings vs seeds: if you are a brand-new gardener, seed starting can sometimes overcomplicate and discourage your efforts. it is easier and more fool-proof to start with healthy seedlings until you get a season or two under your belt and want to add a new gardening skill, like seed starting. i would definitely recommend starting with organic seedlings from a nursery with a great selection, as you can pick healthy plants and go straight home and plug them in your dirt, without having to have any special equipment like grow-lights or anything else like that.
happy shopping!
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