Planning Vegetable
Gardens
Chrissa Carlson
College of
Agriculture and
Natural Resources
A vegetable garden is the
highest maintenance type of
garden there is!
• Almost all annuals
• Focus on productivity
• We want to eat early and often
What we need here is a plan…
A garden plan includes:
• Knowing your goals!
• Locating and designing garden beds
• Deciding what you want to grow
• Creating a timeline
• Laying out plantings in beds
Outline
• Planning to meet your goals
– Goals of community/schoolyard gardens versus home production
– Relationship building
• Timing
– Planting calendar
– Succession and Relay planting
• Spatial layout
– Plant layout (structural needs, height considerations, spacing (rows
versus wide beds)
– Companions/interplanting
• Space x Time
– Rotation
• A word about organic gardening
• FSNE gardens
Planning to meet your goals
• Yield/Production
– Biointensive: timing, space efficiency
• Education
– Crop choice, timing
• Positive experience
– Attractive space, starting small, keeping it
manageable
Planning to meet your goals
When working with a school or community to
plan a vegetable garden…
Relationships are everything!
Learning
from
mistakes
Providing
expertise
Now for the plan…
1. Timing
• Planting calendar!
(see handout)
1. Timing
• Planting calendar!
• Direct seed versus
transplants
– Transplants:
• Plants with a long
time to maturity
(cabbage, broccoli,
tomatoes, peppers)
• Optional for earlier
harvest (melons,
squash, lettuce)
– Direct seed:
• Root crops
• Tall skinny crops:
beans, peas, corn,
okra
• Plants with a short
season (lettuce,
spinach, arugula)
1. Timing
• Planting calendar!
• Direct seed versus transplants
• Identify short season versus long season
– Quick!: radishes, lettuce, peas
– Shortish: other leafy green things, carrots, turnips,
cucumbers, beans
– Long: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes
1. Timing
•
•
•
•
Planting calendar!
Direct seed versus transplants
Identify short season versus long season
Consider planting in 2 weeks successions for
continuous harvest
2. Spatial Layout: Plant
characteristics
• Learn about your chosen crops
– Growth form: trellis tomatoes, pole beans,
peas…cucumbers? Small melons?
– Height: tall stuff in the north of the garden
– Family: group ‘em! (more on this later)
2. Spatial Layout: Designate
areas for different crops
• Place long season summer crops first
• Place shortish/ cool season crops next –
plant twice!
• Place shortish/summer season crops next
• Where can I tuck in quick crops?
2. Spatial Layout
I.Radishes
I.Peas
II.Toms and Peppers
II.Beans
I.Kale and Lettuce
I.Beets and Spinach
II.Kale and Lettuce
II.Carrots and Chard
I.Turnips
I.Lettuce
II.Pumpkins
II.Sweet Potatoes
• Place long season
summer crops first (tall
stuff in the north of the
garden)
• Place shortish/ cool
season crops next –
plant twice!
• Place shortish/summer
season crops next
• Where can I tuck in
quick/cool season
crops?
2. Spatial Layout:
Placement of individual
• Row planting: Refer
plants
to seed packets for
seed depth, spacing
between rows, and
between plants
• Raised beds (also
referred to as wide
beds)
– Ditch the space
between rows!—no
need for footpaths
2. Spatial Layout: Typical row garden
6”
12”
24 plants
2. Spatial Layout: Equidistant
planting in wide bed
6”
6”
56 plants! 133% more food—
plus soil shading
56 Plants in a 4 ft. by 8 ft. bed
133% more food
2. Spatial Layout:
Placement of individual
plants
• Raised beds
– Transplants:
plant
equidistantly
– Direct seed:
scatter seeds or
make closely
spaced furrows
4. Space x Time=Rotation
• Crops in the same family:
–
–
–
–
Need the same growing conditions
Are planted at the same time
Need the same soil nutrients
Are bothered by the same pests
• Growing families repeated in the same space:
– Depletes soil of specific nutrients
– Allows pests and diseases to become persistent
4. Space x Time=Rotation
• Rotation avoids soil nutrient depletion and helps
keep overwintered pest populations in check
• Group plants by families!
• Three rules:
– Light feeders follow heavy feeders
– Deep-rooted follow shallow rooted
– 3 years between planting the same family in the same bed
4. Space x Time=Rotation
• If space is limited
Tomatoes
Squash
Corn
Pole beans
Shorter
nightshades
Brassicas
Beets
Carrots
– Two separate rotations
(one for tall, one for
short) to keep from
moving tall plants to
the south side of the
garden
– Rotate in time rather
than space
Organic gardening…
• Twin cornerstones:
– build soil health (feeding the soil
food web and recycling nutrients)
– increase biological diversity above and below groundplants, insects, microbial life
• Organic doesn’t mean simply substituting purchased
organic pesticides and fertilizers for synthetic
products
Sustainable gardening…
• Sustains itself through reliance on inherent
resources; mimics natural eco-system.
• Needs a minimum of purchased “inputs” and relies
on locally-available materials.
• Does not pollute; strengthens the community ecosystem.
• Requires knowledge, planning, and timing.
Sustainable soil
building
Large amounts of
organic matter may
be needed for several
years.
Thereafter, 1 inch of
compost will help
maintain high yields.
Sources of organic
matter:
• Composted farmyard
manure
• Compost
• Shredded leaves and
grass clippings
• Organic mulches
• Plant roots
• Cover crops
Diverse sources=diverse
nutrients
Consider how to
generate fertility from
local sources…
Resources
• Grow It! Eat It!
http://www.extension.umd.edu/growit
– We have all types of practical food gardening tips and
information. Check out our popular blog!
• Home and Garden Information Center
http://www.extension.umd.edu/hgic
– Here you will find factsheets, photos, and videos. You
can also subscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter.
– We answer gardening questions 24/7…just click
“Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts”
• Maryland Master Gardener Program
http://www.extension.umd.edu/mg
– Consider becoming a trained MG volunteer!
This program was brought to you by the
Maryland Master Gardener Program
Howard County
University of Maryland Extension