![]() In a shadier bed, place cool-weather crops such as broccoli. ![]() Once they’ve grown up and leafed out, the area behind them gets somewhat shaded from the midday sun so consider this for … One great for a garden is to have arches run through the middle, creating more vertical space and making an eye-catching centrepiece perfect for climbing beans. We need to be mindful of shade because plants that are behind them will receive less sunlight once these plants reach full height. Next, we place climbing or vertically-trained crops because they will also cast shade. We’re talking the prime real estate! If you don’t have all-day sun, look for a spot with afternoon sun so there is less chance of the tomatoes shading out lower-growing crops.Ĭorn also goes towards the back of a garden so it doesn’t shade other plants set out corn in a block formation-filling an entire bed (or raised bed if you’re using them)-to encourage better pollination and fuller cobs. These need the sunniest spot you can find, ideally sheltered from chilly winds. When working up a garden plan, the first plants to place are the fussiest ones-the frost-sensitive, warm-season crops. Now for the part we all look forward to: laying out the plants and plan! Ben illustrates how he laid out last year’s crops (using the garden planner) and, as you move through planning a garden, you’ll see the corresponding sections of his garden plan as well as photos of how it all turned out last summer. As you add plants, it automatically updates the accompanying plant list, which clearly shows how many fit and what you’ll be growing when.Īny of these methods will work with the garden planning rules. You can quickly draw out a growing area as well as add plants to the plan, and it’s got handy built-in tools like crop rotation and companion planting features. Even if this is something new to you, try it! With this method, making changes is a breeze. Level three is using something like our online Garden Planner.It’s easy to create multiple versions of your plan that take you through the seasons, or even month by month, but harder to map out the overall layout. Spreadsheets are still a bit clunky, though. Level two is where you create a spreadsheet to keep track of everything, with separate rows for each crop.It’s a very tactile process and one that people with an artistic streak love. Using a pencil rather than a pen is important because you’ll need to erase and redraw things as the plan evolves. Level one is to sketch out your growing area using old-fashioned paper and pencil.There are three ways to create a garden plan. Woodchip doesn’t need mowing of course, but the flip side is it will need topping up from time to time as it decomposes. We love woodchip on top of an initial layer of cardboard for surfacing paths to keep things from getting muddy and as it’s a natural material it will feed the soil and by extension the surrounding crops as it rots down. Paths can be just bare, laid to grass or even paved. ![]() This means you can reach the middle of the bed from the paths without having to step on growing areas because treading on soil can compact it which is worse for your plants. If you can, keep the beds or growing areas between your paths to a maximum width of 4ft or 1.2m. Good, clear paths wide enough to comfortably get a wheelbarrow down will make life so much easier when watering, weeding, or harvesting your crops.Ĭlosely tied to path width is bed width. Paths and Bed SizeĪs your garden expands, so too does the importance of being able to easily move about it. You also want to avoid frost pockets-so steer clear of lower areas where sinking cold air tends to collect. You want somewhere that doesn’t get waterlogged in wet weather or over the winter, and this is where raised beds can prove handy because by raising the planting area above ground level, you’re naturally going to improve drainage within the bed. If you have the time, it’s worth noting where the shadows fall on a sunny day, and at different times of the year-including in summer when overhead trees will be in leaf-so you can accurately judge how sunny the area you have in mind is likely to be. You want somewhere that gets as much sunshine as possible-at least eight hours of direct sun a day is ideal, though if the only space you have gets less than this, don’t worry, there’s still plenty you can grow. The Right LocationĬhoosing the right location for your garden goes a long way to ensuring its success. It’s not just where the vegetable beds are that needs considering the area around them is just as important. Planning a new vegetable garden is exciting stuff, but first we need to lay the groundwork for the space we have to work with. ![]()
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