Layout, where are you going to plant what?

Now that you’ve decided the location of your garden and what type you’re going to have it’s time to starting deciding on a layout… where are you going to plant what?

#1 Make a list of everything you want to plant and put them in to 2 categories, a cool weather crop or a warm weather crop

Cool Season Bed

Warm Season Bed

Read up on your plants: know when you can plant it and when it will harvest to see if you can get two crops out of one space.

#2 Location: Know how big your plant is going to get to consider planting it in the back or front of your garden…you don’t want corn in front of zucchini because when the corn gets high it will block the zucchini from valuable sun

#3 Consider companion planting: Companion Planting is a natural way to boost the plants you want to grow by either: attracting beneficial pests, distracting harmful pests, and/or providing nutrients

#4 Make a rough draft: I build my garden in an excel spreadsheet because I can’t draw and it’s neatly laid out for me. Hand drawn is quick and easy but you can go as far as purchasing software to build your layout

#5 Keep track: consider a gardening calendar (or excel!) to keep track of your freeze date, when you can plant, when it will germinate, when you will thin, and when it will harvest so you can know what stage you are on at all times

#6 Seeds vs. Plants: last thing to consider is how to start. I’ve always planted seeds directly and started indoors when applicable but I’ve read that if it’s your first time gardening you should do transplants to ensure successful healthy plants so you can just focus on maintenance from there on out.

Cool Crop vs. Warm Crop

Some plants have to be clear of every last frost in order to grow, some plants need the frost and that chill in order to thrive. Depending on what you want to grow may depend on when you can plant it.

You can double your gardening spot if you plant a cool crop first, after that has harvested you can then plant your warm weather crop

Cool-Weather Crops

Leafy greens and root crops grow best in cool weather. Cool-weather vegetables include Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chinese cabbage, Escarole, Fava beans, Garlic, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, lettuces, mustard, Onions, Peas, Shallots, Spinach, and Turnips. Collard Greens

Warm-Weather Crops

MOST of these are warm weather crops

Vegetables that love spring and summer should be started indoors if possible to get a head start. They do not like cold soil at night so know your last freeze date and plan accordingly. Cucurbits, Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Lima Beans, Snap Beans, Corn, most Peas, Zucchini, Cucumbers, New Zealand Spinach, Okra, Potatoes (Sweet Potatoes, Jam too), Pumpkins, Soybeans, Squash. Beets, Radishes, & Collard Greens love the warm weather.

Companion Planting, because sometimes we all just can't get along

think of companion planting as bonus plants! You’re planting something to help other plants so you might as well take advantage of that companion’s harvest too.

Why Companion Plant? 

* Better (bigger) harvest of crops
* Healthier plants, fewer plant diseases
* Natural pest control
* Save (maximize) space in your garden
* Attract pollinating insects

Bigger Harvest & Healthier Plants

One example of companion planting; Gardeners have planted corn as a companion for pole (climbing) beans. The beans grow up the corn stalks (as if they were trellises). In return, the beans process nitrogen and help fertilize the corn.

Note: I suggest giving the corn a head start though. Otherwise,
the beans may strangle the young stalks before they get well established.

Here's a chart I built to help me keep track of my companions:

Here’s a chart to more detail on companions for herbs, flowers, fruit, and veggie’s

Natural Pest Control

Some bugs are problems, some are solutions, and some are just passing through.

It’s important to know who does what. There are some bugs out there that can do some serious damage to your garden. An easy way to ward them off is to attract other bugs that will eat them!

lady bug eating aphids... p.s. we HATE aphids!

…lady bugs are one example of a beneficial bug that eats other harmful bugs and are very welcome in your garden. Japanese beetles (which I get in my area) are one example of a harmful bug and lady bugs enjoy eating their larvae. **I just read an article that stated our warmer winter this year could lead to a pest filled spring- perfect time to start thinking of some additions to your garden.**

Companion Planting Suggestions to Attract Beneficial Bugs:
Dill, Mint, Yarrow, Catmint, Lavender, Bee Balm, Marigold, Cosmos, Sunflowers, Asters, Dahlias, Coreopsis, Tansy, Coneflowers, Basil, Thyme, Hyssop, Marjoram, Sage, Caraway, Fennel, Angelica, Butterfly Flower, Milkweeds, Coriander,  Chives, Clover, Coneflowers, Daisies, Buckwheat, Queen Anne’s Lace (Wild Carrots).

Plant Marigolds, Rosemary, or Catnip to keep mosquito's away! 

Crush a few leaves of the Rosemary & Catnip enhance the effect

I want to single out Fennel because it attracts a variety of beneficial bugs and is known to be extremely offensive to Aphids as well as benefit a variety of different plants...BUT it also does extremely poor when planted next to any other plant in your garden except for Dill. I plant fennel in separate small pots and place them through the garden after germination. Even though I don’t like fennel it makes a nice filler to my kitchen table centerpiece when harvesting or trimming. It’s also a strong flea repellent so plant near your kennel to protect your pooch!

Attract Pollinating Insects

a basic of companion planting is flowers… Bees pollinate flowers. Your squash plants (zucchini, pumpkin, etc) also have flowers that need pollination in order for the veggie’s to grow. (Without bee’s you will find yourself hand-pollinating like I had to do with my pumpkins last year, but more on that later!).

           

Bee pollinating a squash blossom

Here is an even better excel spreadsheet I found on-line that will tell you what companion plants you need for what you want to grow…. You can download this if you already have excel or just type right in!

Organize your Layout

It’s important to draw out the design of your garden to make sure you have enough room for everything you want to grow. You want to make sure you have companion plants in the correct locations while still holding your main crops to the proper spacing and depth listed on the back of the seed packets

I like excel. Each of my squares with the initial means that’s how many plants I can have in that spot, some spots I can only have one plant where others I can have multiple. I can’t have everything in the ground for my garden size so I also make sure to include containers

You can also draw everything to scale and make your notes as needed. Write in how many plants you want per spot and no need to run to the computer every time you want to make a change!

Keep Track of your Harvest

It’s up to you how much info you want to organize but it’s important to track your harvest so you always know what stage you’re at and if your plants are moving along properly.

Here are some things I like to keep track of:

FREEZE DATE plays a big impact on knowing when you can plant straight to your soil and your warmer crops can survive the night

WHEN can this plant survive outside

how many weeks can this seed start INDOORS before it has to be planted outside

how many SEEDS you’ll need per plant to get started (listed on BACK OF SEED PACKET)

How many Inches Apart the seeds must be planted

How many DAYS TO HARVEST

The DATE PLANTED

DAYS TO GERMINATION

Determining factors for THINNING (how tall must the seedlings be or how many you should thin down too) **thinning is important, if you don’t thin your plants they will be too crowded and the roots will starve as to many will need feeding**

How many INCHES APART the seedlings must be after thinning (yes, you may have to dig up your seedling in order to thin, more on this later!)

Estimated DATE OF MATURITY based on your Date Planted and Days to Harvest

TIPS, it never hurts to keep the most helpful hints handy

Seeds vs. Transplants

You need to decide if you want to start from seed or begin with transplants

Seeds:

I like seeds, mainly because they are cheap and you'll have enough to use for a few seasons. Plus watching them grow from basically nothing and the sense of accomplishment when the plant actually produces is wonderful. But, there’s more of a risk of your seeds not germinating, seedlings failing to rodents or pests, and plants starting off a bit slower which means your harvest takes longer

Transplanting:

this means you’ve bought a fully germinated seedling from a nursery or greenhouse and all you have to do is transplant into your garden when applicable. They cost more and you only get the one use out of it BUT you get the same sense of satisfaction from your harvest AND transplants are best to ensure a successful germination because there’s no need to worry about starting seeds indoors and/or having your seedlings fail.

Here's a garden with transplants and a garden from seeds, they look the same and produce the same so it's all a matter of how much money and effort you want to put in.