Do you just want to wander out your back door and grab a tomato, pepper and some greens and herbs to make the freshest salads possible throughout the summer? Do you want to grow abundant crops to preserve for year-round use? Proper planning insures success and helps avoid disappointing results. The following tips can help any gardener avoid some common planning pitfalls.
Planning can begin anytime of year. During winter, plan where to place a new bed; make a list of supplies; research the growing needs of favorite fruits, vegetables, and flowers; order seeds from catalogs; and make a map of the bed plan to be realistic about available space and how the growing plants will fit to help determine the number of plants to buy or start indoors from seed; and/or make a crop rotation plan.
When planning a bountiful crop to preserve, can, or freeze the harvest, have a general idea of how many plants are needed to feed the household until the next crop is ready. Even if not planning to preserve, it’s handy to know this information to avoid over-planting and becoming "that zucchini person."
Planning Garden Beds
What kinds of fruits and vegetables do you like? Ideally, what do those plants need to flourish: How much sunlight? moisture? nutrients? What soil type?
In general, most garden plants thrive in well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5–7.0. Some tolerate frost; others tolerate some shade. All prefer to be weeded and watered regularly. Choose a site with full or almost full sun, good drainage, limited competition with nearby trees, and easy access to water and materials like compost, mulch, and manure for best results.
Plenty of sun
Most fruits and vegetables require at least <<six>> hours of sun a day to thrive. Some flourish in cool weather (e.g., snow peas, cabbage family, most leafy greens). Some need warm soil and air temperatures to produce a crop, such as tomatoes, corn, beans, and melons. When the weather gets warmer, spinach and lettuce prefer shade in the afternoon, or they will bolt quickly and get bitter. Provide portable shade with something as simple as a lawn chair for such crops.
Well-drained soil
Most plants prefer soil that allows water to flow through their roots. Cranberries, some blueberry cultivars and celery (a marsh-land native) prefer “wet feet.” For the most part, well-drained soil is the rule of thumb; soggy soil can rot roots.
Soil type
Is the soil clay, loamy, or sandy? What can be added to it to make it better? Healthy soil makes for healthy plants. Compost adds nutrients, lossens clay soils, helps sandy soil retain water, and adds predatory microorganisms that can keep pests like nematodes in check— compost is the backbone of organic gardening. For more information, see the compost entry.
Soil Tests
Do-it-yourself, one-time soil tests to check pH, nitrogren, phosphorous, and potash (potassium) levels of your soil are available in most garden centers for about $3; however, accuracy can be questionable, the recommended amendments offered on the labels are not organic, and it doesn’t test for trace minerals which are also vital to plant health.
If you want to calculate how much kelp meal (1-0-2) you need to add instead of salt peter (K20; 0-0-__) to obtain recommended levels, you’ll need a basic knowledge of chemistry anyway— or a friend who’s knowledgeable of such calculations and willing to do them for you.
Despite the wait, usually a week or two, it’s best to obtain a soil test from your local County Extension Office. The tests are more in depth, more accurate, and if you request organic amendments, they can supply those recommendations as well. Soil tests from County Extension Office cost about $7, and you won’t have to spend an extra hour or two doing mathematic gymnastics to determine how much of which organic fertilizers you’ll need to amend the soil for best results. County Extension Offices run soil tests year-round. Have one done in the fall so amendments can be made before winter to have the planting area ready for early sowing come spring.