How To Plan A Garden & The Ultimate Resource Guide

Whichever season of life you may be in, there’s no better time to plan a garden than now. Throughout the year, you have multiple opportunities to plant various plants despite popular belief that you can only plant in the spring. Are you wanting to plan your garden and not sure how? Then I hope this article finds you well and helps you along the process. I’m going to include every bit of detail I wish I knew just starting out! I’m holding nothing back, so let’s jump into it.

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Planning

A good plan is always the first step to ensure success and establishment in any goal or dream, so why wouldn’t your garden be the same? Are you planting vegetables, fruit, flowers, or all of the above this year? Do you live in a home with a yard (big or small) or do you live in an apartment with maybe a window or a balcony? This post will encompass all of the beginning steps, such as selecting a garden location, types and varieties of plants to include, where, when, and how much of each to plant.

You might be starting to get worried and thinking that gardening takes a lot of mental energy and time after all those questions. But, I promise this will be the hardest step! The actual process of gardening has been proven to be beneficial by increasing exposure to vitamin D, decreasing health risks, boosting your mood, it is an enjoyable aerobic exercise, reduces stress, and of course produces wonderful crops that help you eat healthier.

Site Selection

Most vegetables grow best when they receive at least six hours of sun a day, so this could be a south facing plot of land or a south/east/west balcony or window. If you are gardening out in a yard, be sure to choose a place where the soil is loose, rich, level, and well-drained. Keeping plants by a water supply is always a plus. You can make an irrigation system out of old garden hoses, purchase one, or use a rain barrel to collect water for your garden.

Start Small and grow what you love

If you are new to gardening or have limited time to devote to your garden, then you should start small in plot size and in produce. You don’t want to get overwhelmed and discouraged in your first year! I always give myself one year to learn about any new crop I am planting before I expect any yield.

Last year we planted brussels sprouts and broccoli. We didn’t get to enjoy any of them because it was our first year and we were just trying to learn!

But also, grow what you love to eat/see! You don’t want to devote all of this time, energy, and resources to growing plants that you don’t like, that’s wasteful. Not only would that waste produce, but the last thing you want is to have your garden feel like a chore rather than be a source of inspiration and relaxation. Keep in mind what you like to regularly eat throughout the week and make a list. Next time you run to the store, pick up a couple seeds of those veggies or keep the list for visiting your local greenhouse.

Easy to grow vegetables:

Lettuce
Potatoes
Green beans
Radishes
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Peppers (hot and sweet)
Beets
Zucchini
Onions
Peas

Garden Size

Now we know where to plant and what to plant, but how much of each and how much space?

Honestly the numbers are going to be different based on what you normally eat, how many are in the family, and what you chose to grow. So if you are growing easy, low maintenance crops, then you might want to look at this graphic:

But if you have a whole backyard, then you might want to look at this graphic:

If you are planning your urban garden and you have a window or a balcony, check your seed packets to make sure they are container friendly. Your seed packet should list what size container they would grow best in (Tomatoes 12” for example). If you plan on companion planting, then you are going to want to double that pot size (best companion plants all saved to my Garden Pinterest board linked below!). Companion planting is when you mix certain crops that grow well together to deter pests and support each other grow. Your plants will need enough space to share their roots. If you are really limited in space, then you will want to look into vertical growing options and hanging planters.

If you are planting on your balcony, remember not to overcrowd plants. This is why I say to make sure you double your pot size if you choose to companion plant. Your plants need root space and don’t want to share the soil’s nutrients. The less space your plants have to grow roots, the smaller your plant will be, and the less crop you will yield.

For those that are short on space, you may want to also consider succession planting and intercropping. This is when you plant certain vegetables at intervals throughout the year. Homestead and Chill once said that you can plant carrots every 3 weeks throughout the growing season and have carrots to harvest all summer.

Soil

Plot of land or balcony garden, don’t forget to regularly fertilize your crops! Your plants need nutrients just like you. I will be sharing more about composting options later. But for a quick and easy composting option, and natural, organic fertilizer for your garden, you can look into Bokashi bins or making your own and using Bokashi bran. You can also get worm tea from local gardeners or gardening clubs at your local university if composting is just too intimidating!

I will be posting a trouble shooting guide, along with plenty of more resources throughout the growing season so be sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive updates and notifications! You can also keep an eye on how our garden is doing by heading over to my YouTube channel and hitting the subscribe button!

But for now, I can’t wait to see what you all grow this year. Below is a complete guide to all of my favorite gardening resources! Is there anything you still have questions on? Private message me on one of my platforms, send me an email, or leave a comment below! I will be more than happy to answer any questions.