Vegetable Garden Design
The vegetable garden design should be simple, says our gardener.
His vegetable garden plans are based on 4 needs.
Some fixed and unchangeable.
While others he tweaked ...
... so gardening vegetables is an ongoing success for him and us vegetables.
Our Gardener's Best Advice
Keep the Vegetable Garden Plans Simple and Manageable.
Sunshine ...
... or lack of direct sunlight on the otherwise ideal location for vegetable gardens ...
... If the house was in a different location
... or those trees or garden fence were not there
... and if the garage was further over
These are some thoughts a gardener might think when planning her vegetable garden ...
... especially when small space gardening in an urban setting.
Permanent structures can not be moved ...
... So the vegetable garden placement will have to revolve around the sunniest location.
Six to Eight hours of direct sunlight ...
... is required for the healthy growth of fruit and vegetable producing plants.
Our gardener's vegetable garden design tips ...
... and tricks to take advantage of available sun light
If the sunniest spot in the yard is in the centre of the lawn ...
... remove the lawn.
There are many front yard landscaping ideas if the sun shines here the most ...
... an edible landscape.
Growing fruit trees along a fence that casts a shadow works well ...
... if the trees grow taller than the fence.
Vertical gardening along the same fence line ...
... pole beans will do well here
Container gardening ... moving garden pots daily can be a pain
but as shadows grow longer move the containers,
for portions of the growing season, to sunnier spots in the yard.
Know which varieties of vegetables tolerate some shade ...
... cool weather vegetables are shady candidates.
Balcony gardens should be included in garden planning ...
... especially in a small space garden where
people as well as us vegetables can enjoy the sunshine together.
A backyard green house for summer use ...
... or year round vegetable gardening will provide the light.
Drainage ... next to be considered in the vegetable garden plans.
The sun has pointed us to the ideal spot for gardening vegetables but it looks best for koi and water lilies !
Poor drainage is usually a sign of poor garden soil or a high water table.
Our gardener overcame high ground water by building raised beds.
Raised bed gardening has become a way of life in our vegetable gardens ...
... We vegetables are high and dry ... although our roots do grow deep into the moist soil below.
Vegetable Garden Soil
Poor vegetable garden soil is not a reason to alter the growing location in a vegetable garden design.
Rocky, clay, or hardpan soil types ... our gardener's solution was building raised beds ...
... creating the ideal soil for organic vegetable gardening.
Our Gardener's Container & Raised Bed Gardening Soil Recipe is:
Organic Compost 2 buckets
Washed sand 1 bucket
pearlite / peat moss / or coconut coir 1 bucket
Quality garden soil 2 buckets
This container gardening and raised garden bed soil will ...
... retain the right amount of water and provide air pockets for growing vegetables to eat & breathe.
Yes raised bed gardening is container gardening ... contained raised beds are just larger and bottomless !
What to grow and how much ?
Grow the vegetables the gardener and family like to eat.
The size of the vegetable gardens and the quantity of vegetables planted ...
... will depend on the gardener's ability and avalable time.
Just starting a vegetable garden ? ...
... Develop a large vegetable garden design to grow into over a number of years is best.
... Change it up as you grow !
A Design in a Design
There can be more to vegetable garden plans than gardening vegetables.
... Kitchen gardens
... growing strawberries
... raised flower bed for companion plants
... a small herb garden design
... growing fruit trees
... container gardening
... edible flowers
Including any of these in the overall design may take advantage of that extra ounce of available sunshine.
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