Plan Your Vegetable Garden

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For a bountiful crop

It’s easy. Just think before you sow a single seed.

¨ Here are some tried and true methods to help you to abundantly reap what you sow.

¨ Determine your climate first and foremost. Select the type of vegetables you’ll want to plant and how they will grow if you are living in a tropical, temperate or cold climate. You should not plant heat loving vegetables like tomatoes or peppers, corn, potatoes and eggplant when you can expect a frost after winter’s end.

¨ On the other hand, most leguminous plants, such as beans or peas, also multi-leaved plants like broccoli, cauliflower, onions and more will grow well in climates between 50°- 68°F and will tolerate frost fairly well.

¨ Vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, lettuce and others will fair well in slightly warmer temperatures between 60° - 75°F.

¨ Plan your V garden according to your available planting area and the number of people you wish to provide your harvest for. A family of four or five might benefit from a garden of about 150 square feet. However, unless some of the family is helping with the work, it’s a little larger than the size a novice gardener would want to care for at first. Especially if he or she is attempting to grow a variety of plants.

¨ When you have decided on the size you must also determine the location as it pertains to the amount of sunlight, shade, wind and drainage your site will receive. Take some time to calculate the number of hours per day when your site will get the benefit of these elements.

More ways to get to bountiful

¨ Natural shade is common to many areas provided by trees and bushes but it must be remembered that most vegetables like at least five hours of sunlight daily. If they are below average size and have wilted looking leaves with drying edges they are not getting enough sun.

¨ Plant taller vegetables like corn, Swiss chard, pole beans and tomato trellises to the north of the shorter ones. The south edge should be reserved for lettuces and other low growing plants.

¨ Too much wind can damage your crop. Erecting a wind break can solve the problem. Cold winds are usually low and prevent your plants from growing to maturity.

¨ Be sure your plants receive plenty of water. Unlike herbs and some other plants, veggies keep healthy with plenty of water and good drainage to avoid root rot.

¨ If you are in a temperate to warm climate you might consider using a soaking hose placed around the perimeter and through the furrows with an attached timer. This would assure that the base and roots, not the leaves, get most of the water.

The row to bountiful

This can be a long row to hoe but if you are prepared to rotate your crops like skilled farmers do from year to year or according to your personal circumstances it helps to know these few things:
1. Some plants absorb more nutrients from the soil in varying quantities.

2. Some of the nutrients can be replaced with compost and other soil treatments.

3. You can also benefit from changing your design layout and perhaps gain more bounty.

Gardening is still America’s highest ranked hobby and becoming more attractive every year