Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Where to put your Vegetable Garden

Today is an exciting day for me and my mother-in-law, we're going to our local FFA chapter's green house to get some vegetable plants and annual flowers!  But before I buy my plants, I better figure out where to put my garden!  See, this will be the first year of having a garden at our current acreage.  We always had one at our old acreage and it was easy to decide where to put it because we knew where my husband's grandfather had kept his.  But at our new place, we're starting from scratch.  I'm sure at one point in time the former owners had a garden but there is no evidence of a garden now.  So deciding where to place my vegetable garden was exciting and a little nerve-racking at the same time.  So after some research and personal knowledge from my past experiences, I have decided to place my garden here:

Where to put your Vegetable Garden
My garden's future home
Many factors played into me making my decision on where to place my vegetable garden and I thought I'd share these factors with you to help you when deciding where to place your vegetable garden:

Where to put your Vegetable Garden
  • Place your garden in a well drained soil.  You should pick a level area to help with drainage and also to limit erosion.
  • Pick an area with full sunlight.  Most vegetables need at least 6 hours of sunlight.  If you garden is going to be close to a building structure or your home, consider placing it on the south side if available or on the east or west side.
  • Be sure to place your garden away from trees and shrubs.  Trees and shrubs will compete with your garden plants for water and nutrients.
  • Also, make sure to think convenience when planning your garden's location.  Make sure it is near your home where you'll see or walk by it daily.  Also, it is a good idea to make sure you can reach your garden at least within two hose lengths, otherwise you'll be carrying water a long ways (which might sound like a good exercise plan at the beginning of the season, but by the end of the summer you will most likely have wished the garden was closer.)
  • Now at the same time you'll need to keep your garden away from high traffic areas.  Don't place your garden where your kids like to run around and play and don't put it where vehicles (and tractors if you're like me) drive.
This year, similar to past years, I'll be planting a salsa garden.  I love canning salsa and pizza sauce, plus I think salsa garden vegetables are relatively simple to take care of.  Below is an outline of my garden this year.  I'm going to intercrop my garden between long-season vegetables (i.e. tomatoes, peppers), next to short-season vegetables (i.e. radishes, onions).  The short-season vegetables will be harvested before the height of the summer and will be removed, allowing more room for the long-season vegetables.

Salsa Garden Plan - Intercropping Vegetable Garden

Do you plant a garden?  What plants are you including in your plan for this year?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

I went to the #IAblogger meet-up last week and was inspired to try setting up my own Linky Party.  So here we go!  Link up your garden posts (tips, plans, recipes, etc.) here:

28 comments:

  1. I do container gardening. We got flooded in 08 and we're still "fixing" things. This year is the yard. We built a new house, new septic system in 07 and then the flood and our yard is like a washboard still. I have pictures of the 6 yo granddaughter playing in the mud after the septic system went in. It rained hard and she had a marvelous time. I hosed her off before I let her in the house!!! So with new dirt, more berm material, it'll be containers for me this year.

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    1. I think container gardens are a great thing. Container gardening allows more people to be able to garden, whether it is because of space or unsuitable soils. Good luck Dee!

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  2. I haven't blogged too much about my garden yet this season but I will be soon!! The torrential downpours last year washed out the seeds I already planted. Maybe a few of them will sprout...? (fingers crossed) I'm going to look for my strawberries and tomatoes at the farmers market this week and plant some transplants and more seeds this weekend!!

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    1. You'll have to blog about your garden and link up your post! I have the linky party open for a couple of weeks. Good luck with your transplanting and seed planting!

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  3. The only garden I plant anyone is a container herb garden and that is plenty for me to keep up with. :-) Love your salsa garden idea and it looks like you picked the perfect spot for it. Hopefully the rain will come at just the right times this year!

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    1. What do you all plant in your container herb garden? I was thinking of doing some herbs too but haven't done anything yet.

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  4. It was fun meeting you in Ames last week! So fun that you started a link-up, too! If only I had a garden post! :( Great blog!

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  5. Not much in the garden yet. Love that you have it all mapped out and planned! Want to come and give me a hand? ;)

    Thank you for linking up to the County Fair Blog Party week #11!
    Laurie - Country Link

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    1. Laurie - actually after I mapped it out for here I found a website that gives you a free trial that has a really neat garden mapping program. You should check it out: http://www.motherearthnews.com/garden-planner/vegetable-garden-planner.aspx#axzz30rIV1mY1

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    2. I will check that out Val, thanks!

      Congrats on being the DIY Champion for week #11 of the Country Fair Blog Party. I hope you will join us for week #12!
      Laurie - Country Link

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  6. Stopping by from the Country Fair Blog Party #11! I garden quite a bit but I love how you have it all mapped out - I seem to not be that organized, but I think you may have inspired me! It's been too wet and rainy here to plant anything, but soon I will be out there, digging in the soil and getting my vegies planted!

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  7. I didn't know there were any well drained areas in Franklin county

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    1. Yes, Franklin County doesn't have the best well drained soils, so you've just got to make the best of what you have :)

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  8. Val, thank you, thank you! We are redesigning our beds and making them raised ones to be easier on my back and i have been struggling to know where to put them for the best harvest! Thanks for sharing! (and of course for sharing with us over on our Country Fair Blog Party!) :) Jan

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    1. One of my cousins made raised beds last year and had a lot of success! Good luck with the new planting season Jan!

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  9. The location of a garden is so important, and I wish more people knew it! So many people just put their garden in any old spot (or more particularly, a spot that they chose because they "like it") and then wonder why their garden doesn't do very well. If you actually want things to grow in your garden you've gotta consider a few things before you pick where you're going to plant it :)

    Peter | TheImpatientFarmer.com

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  10. you'll need to plant a vertical garden right there in your tiny space. A vertical vegetable husbandry will simply manufacture the maximum amount vegetables as a standard garden.Remember, you do not have to be compelled to limit yourself to solely growing outside vertical gardens.

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