Size & Layout
Start small, especially if you are new to gardening, and consider what you and your family like to eat and would enjoy growing. It may be best to simply start with pots or flower boxes with a couple of tomato plants and some lettuce. If you have the room and feel a bit more ambitious, building a 4’x8’ raised bed would give you space for a bit more variety.
If you have some gardening background and are aiming at growing more varieties for fresh consumption or storage, you should consider cultivating a full-scale garden. Determining the size can be tricky, so here are a couple of sample layouts to help get you started:
It is best to finalize your garden plans on paper during the fall and early winter months, before you order or buy your seeds. In the early spring, as soon as the ground is thawed and dried, you can start working in the garden. It is advisable to grow in “raised beds” vs. single rows to maximize the garden’s productivity per square foot.
Raised beds in this case are not wooden; rather, they are created by raking excess soil from the walking paths to create a bed 3”-4” high and usually three feet wide. The width will still allow you to reach into the middle from either side. Walking paths of 18” wide should be sufficient. Try to make these beds and paths perpendicular to the sun’s path in order to reduce the shading from taller items. Another trick to maximize productivity is to grow vertically. This can be done with pole beans and trellising cucumbers, peas and melons.
Location
Sunshine
Vegetables do their best in several hours of sun and if sunny space is at a premium, you will be limited in what you can grow. The ideal garden location would have no shade trees and at least 6-8 hours of sun. Three sunny hours will get you only leafy greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.). If you have no lawn with sun or want to start smaller, consider using pots or small containers and placing them on your sunny patio, steps, balcony or along the house foundation. Is there such a thing as too much sun? Yes and no. Too much sun will dry out the ground as well as any type of container or pot faster, requiring more frequent watering. Additionally, leafy greens may start wilting later in the day. A remedy for that is to consider placing them under items which provide shade, such as tomatoes.
Proximity
Make sure your location is convenient for watering, weeding and harvesting. This is especially true with a garden as you need to consider the distance in carrying water or the amount of hose needed. A garden out of sight also tends to be one that is less attended. You also need to be assured when starting a garden that you have no underground utilities or sprinkler systems, and are not locating above a septic system or drilled well.
Garden Bed Creation
Containers
When using containers, you can use a variety of materials (plastic, clay, wood). They simply need to be large enough to provide adequate root growth and have drainage holes in the bottom. Clay and darker pots will heat up more and dry out faster. If you are planning to build one or more larger wooden containers for a raised garden, they should ideally be 4’x8’ and made of rot-resistant white cedar, but inexpensive pine or fir will suffice. Just recognize they will start breaking down in a few years’ time. Do not use pressure-treated lumber as it contains toxins.
Raised beds
When breaking the lawn for a new garden, things get a bit more complicated – and physical. The timing is also critical as it ideally needs to be completed the summer or fall before the next spring planting season. You can rent a rototiller and make a few passes, but rototillers will easily pulverize the soil and destroy its structure, not to mention the harm they cause to the highly beneficial earthworms. A better approach, albeit much more physical, is to break the soil by hand. This requires cutting roughly 12” sod squares, slicing them off 3”-4” deep, and turning them upside down. After a few days in the sun to dry out the soil, they can be shaken to remove the excess soil and the grass can be discarded or hot composted. This method greatly preserves the soil structure and worms and removes all the grass and roots, greatly eliminating any future regrowth. Here’s an excellent resource on preparing a vegetable garden site.
Soil & Fertilization
It is optimal to get a soil test to determine what, if any fertilizer, is needed. This needs to be done in the fall in order to treat your garden at the time of spring planting. Your state university extension office will provide the necessary information for soil testing. Be sure to indicate if you plan on treating your garden organically, so they can provide you with organic options. Organic fertilizer will vary depending on what minerals may be lacking and sizeable garden centers typically carry several options. Simply apply the quantities prior to planting based upon the report. Adding your own compost to the soil adds valuable nutrients and keeps your soil rich.
If you are using containers, it’s best to use potting soil, so there is no need for a soil test.
