Here at gardenfreude, we probably spend as much time talking about our garden as we do being in it. We are constantly talking about things we’d like to plant, things we don’t think paid off (both literally and figuratively). There have been rousing successes and massive failures, like quinoa, which failed so miserably we prefer not to talk about it at all. Seriously! Don’t ask!
What we have learned is that gardening is a lot of experimentation and adaptation, but the better you plan, the easier it can be to adjust to those unforeseen bumps in the road.
In the next few posts, we will give you a step by step method for planning your garden using Adobe Illustrator.
What you will need:
Tape measure
Pencil
Scrap paper or small notebook
Internet ready computer
Illustrator (or other drawing based program with grid system)
Printer(optional)
Step 1- State your purpose, Ruffian!
The most important thing to consider when planning your garden is why it is you want to garden in the first place. If you just want to get outside more and see what happens then you will find that you can be really playful in the way you make your gardening decisions. Maybe you really want to grow a certain percentage of your food, while reducing your dependence on the local supermarket; this goal will guide you to making a larger financial investment upfront, but it’s an investment that can really pay off.
Here are some possible reasons to inspire or steal if you’re feeling stuck:
- I want to make a batch of my grandmother’s spaghetti sauce made entirely of things I grew in my garden.
- I want to learn more about vegetables and plants.
- I want to spend time outside with my family (or friends, community, etc.) and see what we can grow together.
- I want to grow things I can’t get in the store and wow my foodie friends with flavors and colors they only expect from high end restaurants.
Step 2- Make a wish list
Now that you know why you’re gardening, let’s figure out what you want to fill that garden with. Simply put, the ‘why you garden’ dictates ‘what you garden’.
Gardens are a slow process. You put stuff in the ground and you have to fuss with it for days, weeks, or even months before it begins to yield rewards. If you choose plants that you are truly excited to grow, harvest, and eat you are more likely to stay committed to the project. Every year we plant something we don’t really have a passion for (ahem, ground cherries) and it frequently takes up garden space that we would rather have used for something we know we like. So what do you like?
Right now, make a list of your favorite vegetables. Be as specific as you can. Is there a certain kind of tomato you can never find? Do you long to eat those delicious purple beans you had once at a restaurant? These questions and their answers are the beginnings of a great garden.
It’s also important to look at what you actually use. Rifle through your grocery receipts and determine what you buy most. If you want to save some money, you will be well served to grow the three things you buy most often. Don’t be afraid to choose a few things and strive to do them very well.
Once you have a wish list, take a look at the chart below for a gauge on how many plants it can take to feed one person. When it’s time to harvest, it can be overwhelming if you’ve grown too many vegetables- they’ll only go to waste. Growing too few could lead to divorce over the last heirloom pepper. Nobody wants that.
| Vegetable, Fruit, or Herb | # of Plants Per Person |
|---|---|
| Asparagus | 4 |
| Beans | 20 |
| Beets | 20 |
| Broccoli | 3-4 |
| Cabbage | 3-4 |
| Carrot | 30-60 |
| Corn | 10-15 |
| Cucumber | 1-2 |
| Eggplant | 2 |
| Garlic | 5 |
| Lettuce | 5-15 |
| Onion | 15 |
| Peas | 20 |
| Pepper | 6-10 |
| Potato | 15 |
| Pumpkin | 3 |
| Radish | 10 |
| Spinach | 20 |
| Squash | 1-3 |
| Swiss Chard | 4 |
| Tomato | 3-5 |
Step 3- Measure your space
Maybe you plan to garden in 5 gallon buckets on your fire escape or maybe you have an expansive yard that’s begging to become a small farm; either way, the process will be the same.
The first thing we like to do is to sketch a rough map of the space we plan to use. It doesn’t really matter if you draw this to scale, this is just a place to mark down the measurements as you take them.
Using your tape measure, measure each area you plan to plant in. Keep the measurements in inches during this phase, it will keep you from making mistakes.
Special considerations
1- Know where North is. The sun shines from the south most of the day, so you will want to place taller plants in the north and shorter plants in the south.
2- Know how much sun the different parts of your yard will get. 6-8 hours is considered full sun. If you have a big shadow caused by your shed from 11-3 this location is not the place to plant your tomatoes, but it might help you get a good bunch of radishes or hearty lettuce.
3- If you’re planting in the ground- make sure to mark the placement of any trees, rocks, paths, or physical features that won’t change. Also, make notes of locations where tall plants might block a view or window (neighbors hate that!).
4- If you’re planting in pots, it’s important to know that vegetables fall into three classes: deep, medium, and shallow rooters. This will help you choose what plants go in what pots.
In the next posts in this series we will cover:
creating a scale drawing of your garden
and
planning your vegetable layout
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