Vegetable box garden planner1/20/2024 ![]() Follow the seed instructions or the guidelines in the Planting Chart re spacing. And bush tomatoes really do get bushy – give them the recommended space (I tell myself!). I find this very difficult – a winter squash seed or transplant doesn’t look like it’s going to need 3-5 feet of space – but it really does. Spacingīe sure to leave enough room for your veggies to grow into adulthood. My oregano and chives (bottom of right apple tree), mint, garlic chives and lemon balm (bottom of left apple tree) do just fine underneath the shade of my apple trees. Root Veggies: carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes, turnips Herbs: chives, cilantro, garlic chives, mint, oregano, lemon balm, parsley Greens: arugula, Bok choy, mustard greens, kale, swiss chard, collard greens, lettuce, mesclun mix, spinach Expect shade tolerant veggies to take a little longer to grow, produce less quantity and be slightly smaller. ![]() Anything that produces fruit (tomatoes, cukes, squash, beans, etc.) isn’t great without full sun. Typically these are greens and root crops. Yes, there are some vegetables that tolerate some shade. Big difference! So the lesson is look at the seed pack and take the sun recommendations seriously – plant where you have sun. I didn’t fully appreciate the difference full sun made until I started renting a garden plot that gets full sun. Sure, I get some growth – but it’s never great and usually pretty disappointing. I have tried and tried growing veggies in every conceivable spot. My backyard has dappled shade, there are a few spots that get more sun than others. The majority of vegetables NEED (not just like) sunlight and plenty of it (seed packets will tell you how much). What to Consider When You Make a Gardening Plan Sunlight Unless of course your buying specialty varieties from a specialty seed company and you know what you’re doing! The most important thing is to choose a place that sells seeds and can offer advice for your local conditions. There are many great local greenhouses and seed companies to choose from. Then I check out local seed catalogues or go to my local greenhouses and get what I need in time for indoor seed starting or planting outside. You can always do a seed germination test so you don’t risk losing out on your favorite veggie because of bad seeds. Seeds have an expiration date, so you can’t keep them forever. Once I have a list of what I want to plant and have drawn it out, I go through my box of seeds to see what I have, what I need and what needs to be tossed. ![]() Now I use that same template, year after year. I didn’t measure exactly, but I wanted a rough idea of how much space everything would take. The first time I drew out the plan, I did it on graph paper and so I could do it somewhat to scale. That way, I’ll know what and how many seeds or transplants I need. I literally make a gardening plan or drawing representing what to plant where. I’ve got my seeds, charts, catalogs, pencil, eraser and cup of coffee! Based on my answers re the Six Questions Prior to Planning a Garden, how things went last year, and how the typical harvest time of veggies coincides with my schedule, I get to work roughly drawing out what I want to plant where.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |