A young homeowner went to a small local garden centre to get some garden tools. As he left, he said, “Goodbye.” The owner did not respond. “Why didn’t you respond?” he said. “You’ll be back.” And he was, not once, but twice. A third time, he went to another store.
We waste a lot of time because we fail to plan. Have a plan and follow it. Make lists on what to do. Our memory, especially when we are busy, is not reliable.
A plan has two components: First, there is the overall plan, and second, there is a timeline, or how quickly you want to carry out the steps in the plan.
The first step is to ensure you have at least 12 to 20 inches of heavily composted soil in your vegetable garden. Seriously consider raised beds. They make planning, planting, sowing, weeding, and watering easy.
Next consider how much time do you have to garden? For example, a 100-square-foot garden will take at least a couple of hours per week to look after it properly. Do you have time for more?
Next, what do you want to grow. If you want to grow a good proportion of your vegetables, you will have to dedicate at least 200 square feet of garden space, including some vertical gardening structures. Plan your vegetable garden based on what you like to eat. How much of each vegetable do you want to plant? For example, 200 lineal feet of carrots will feed a family of four until March. Do you want that many carrots? Don’t plant more than two hills of zucchini. Determine how much garden space you can allocate to each vegetable you plan to plant.
Do some research on the yield per row-foot so you grow enough but not too much. One person I know planted 24 zucchini plants in her first year. Two would have given more than enough for a family of four.
Once you have decided what to grow, determine where you plan to grow them. Some, such as tomatoes, peppers, and squash, like it hot with lots of light. Swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, or cabbage like it cool and a bit shady. While carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, and peas like six to eight hours of sunlight, they can tolerate some shade, but the yield may be less.
Vegetables grown in an area with less than the recommended amount of sunlight will take longer to mature, but may become as large and as nutritious as those grown in more sunlight. For example, one of my Roma tomato plants produced 110 large tomatoes in an area that had less than four hours of sunlight each day. In many cases the quality of the soil, depth, and organic material, is more important to growth than the amount of sunlight.
Plan when to plant each vegetable. Some, such as lettuce or spinach, can be planted in late April. Carrots, onions, cabbage, or peas can be planted in early May. Potatoes, tomatoes, and beans should be planted in late May. Most annual flowers must be set out after the last frost.
Involve your children. Consider putting edibles such as tomatoes or carrots within reach of your children or grandchildren. Create a hide-a-way in a tent of pole beans or a circle of sunflowers. Start them on gardening by letting them have their own garden space. They may become gardeners in the future. Even better, they may eat what they grow.
A young District Agriculturist approached an elderly farmer with suggestions on how he could improve his farming practices. After listening patiently, the farmer said, “Listen, Sonny, I already know how to farm twice as well as I can.”
For the new gardener, it is better to start small and gradually expand. How much time do you have to garden? For example, a 100-square-foot garden may only take a couple of hours per week to look after it properly. A larger one will take more time.
