How to Plan Your Garden | A Rural Girl Writes

Inside: While the cold winds of early March still blow, now is the perfect time to plan your garden for spring.

While it might seem early to talk garden planning, by the standards of most seasoned gardeners, I’m late to the game. They’ve already eagerly scanned their favorite garden catalogues (likely down at the mailbox the moment they arrived) and dog-eared the pages of their veggie, fruit, and flower selections. They’ve made sketches of their various plots and beds, gathered materials, and are now just waiting for mother nature to cooperate.

If you’re not seasoned, and even if you are, I’d like to lead you down my garden path and give you food for thought (pun intended) before you set about planning your garden.

What do you want from your garden?

This is arguably the most important point to consider. Really think about what you want from your garden–it will save you time, money, and energy if you put a little thought into the process. Do you want to feed your family for the summer and preserve the harvest through the winter all the way into next year’s crop? Do you want to enjoy your favorite veggies for the season but once the frost comes, you’re ready for a break? Maybe a couple of pots of tomatoes on the patio are more your speed. Or maybe you’re only interested in flowers. Whatever you decide, make sure your goals are a good match for your resources.

How much space do you have?

This might seem like a fixed answer, but the more you learn about gardening, the more choices you have. Limited space? Think vertically! Vines trailing up trellises, string beans clinging to poles, tomatoes in cages–you get the idea. You might also be interested in succession planting or having both a spring and fall garden. Or maybe adding a raised bed so you can plant crops closer together is the perfect solution. The only catch is you need an area with at least six hours of sun. Sadly I can’t tell you how many times I talk to folks who tell me they love their home, but they have too many mature trees, making it impossible to find a sunny spot to garden. But even then you have some options–shade loving plants, though the list is, admittedly, much shorter.

My point is that you can usually garden to some degree where you are, even if it’s only small pots of herbs in a kitchen window. I know people who have made the most of garden boxes on a deck with what little sun they have. So, bottom line, space with sun is best, but you can sometimes find ways around it.

How much time do you have to garden?

While there are many good tips when it comes to garden chores, the truth of the matter is that growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers requires an investment of time. Do you have lots of hours to spend outdoors on a regular basis or just a few minutes on the weekends? Would any family members or friends agree to help in exchange for produce? It’s very easy to get an “eyes bigger than stomach” mentality when it comes to wanting to put in a huge garden. I know firsthand because I’ve done this. More than I’d care to admit. But we all have only so many minutes in the day. Be realistic about what you can take on with the time you have available.

Planning my garden. — These are a few of my favorite things. . .

How much money do you have to spend?

Transplants aren’t too pricey, but when you have a large plot or several flower beds to fill, the cost can quickly add up. Seeds are a bargain if you plant them in time. For example, I’m going to start cauliflower and cabbage seeds this coming week, but if I wait too much longer the cauliflower won’t get planted in time to beat the summer heat–which means it will bolt–and the cabbage will be stunted. Both like it cool. If you miss the spring deadline for planting, you can always sow seeds for the fall. As a matter of fact, the best sweet corn I ever grew I harvested in September with no corn earworms to contend with.

To save money, plant seeds. If you have a larger budget, transplants can be quite convenient.

What would you like to grow?

Do you have favorite veggies and fruits you like to grow every year? Personally, I can’t imagine a garden without tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn. Is there a particular type of flower you like to plant in hanging baskets? It might seem like a no-brainer, but filling your garden with plants you love will bring more joy to digging in the dirt and maybe make those not-so-fun tasks like weeding and watering easier to handle.

What grows well in your area?

What have you had success growing? What do your neighbors grow? What are the local plant stands selling? You might like peanuts, but if you hail from the north, your season is likely too short for them. It’s best to work within your planting zone and microclimate. On the other hand, have there been any plants that haven’t worked well for you, yet, with dogged determination you want to try again? Provided the plant can be grown in your zone, then keep trying. Challenges in the garden, as well as trying new varieties and techniques, adds fun and a little bit of mystery to the process.

A few final tips. . .

Let me leave you with a few tips to grow on. (Yes, another pun.)

Use a calendar or planner to jot down notes. Why is this important? Writing down seed planting and transplanting dates will help you keep track of when your harvest is due. Also, if you are applying fertilizer or spraying for pests, you’ll want to know when you did these tasks because you usually have to wait to harvest plants after using these types of products. A calendar is also useful for jotting down impressions, weather conditions, or anything else that occurs to you. These notes are pure gold when it comes to next year’s planning and planting.
Keep your seed packets, stick stakes, and directions on any fertilizer, pest sprays, or relevant product purchases. You will likely need to refer back to these during the season. Also, knowing particular brands or varieties will be useful if you choose to purchase the same thing next year.
Watch for plant sales, especially after Mother’s Day. Also, if you’re not in a hurry to harvest, waiting until June to garden will save you money on transplants. As Mom said the other night, the best garden she ever grew she planted late. I had the same experience myself. A combination of consistent warmer temperatures and longer days, and your late garden ends up being not all that far behind those who planted early or “on time.”
Be patient and wait for the right time to plant. For cool crops, get them into the garden soon enough so they will be spared the harsh summer. For plants that like it hot, make sure the ground is warm and ready for them.

Most of all, enjoy growing the plants you love in whatever way works for best for you!