Vegetable Garden Planning – Tips For A Delicious Harvest

If you have a green thumb and would love to put that space in your backyard to good use, you should try a vegetable garden. Let’s see how vegetable garden planning can help you maximize your space and resources for an abundant harvest for your family.

You’ll be able to grow what you eat and therefore control the chemicals and pesticide levels that you consume. Additionally, it’s a great way to learn about nature and feel pride in what you accomplished.

I share my vegetables with my friends and family. My kids love to help me in the garden, so it’s a great way to teach them about healthy eating.

To be able to share your vegetables you have to plan your garden first. For instance, if you are planning to feed a family of four throughout the year, you should have approximately 1,076 square feet of garden space. This does not include paths.

Here’s how to design a large vegetable garden

1. Plan Your Vegetable Garden

When you plan your vegetable garden, you need to decide if you want to plant in open soil or raised beds.

Raised beds are a good option because the soil warms at a faster rate and keeps warm longer which brings the crop to maturity quicker. It also allows for better drainage.

Raised beds can be created by enclosing the soil in wooden frames, decorative stones, or concrete.

If you’d rather not have to make and care for raised beds, you can use this raised gardening method.

2. Tips For Soil Preparation

To prepare the soil for your veggie garden you need to make sure your soil PH is good, remove any weeds and rocks and add some compost to enrich the soil.

You can add organic humus, peat moss, or manure (processed or rotted). Completely mix the humus with the soil and then you will be ready for the next stage which is planting.

A quick tip: how to prepare your garden for winter.

3. What You Should Plant

Brussels, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, onions, and peas are best grown in cooler climates between 50-70°F, while carrots, radish, parsnip, lettuce, and celery have intermediate temperature requirements and are best grown in temperatures between 60-80° F.

If temperatures are above 70° F then the ideal crops for your garden are corn, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, and vine crops. Therefore, do your research beforehand so you choose the right crops for your vegetable garden.

If you want to plant successive crops, you should practice crop rotation since different plants take different things from the soil. Crop rotation also reduces the chance of a specific kind of pest or disease attacking your garden.

Check out this month-by-month garden chore list.

4. Figure Out The Best Layout For Your Vegetable Garden

The next step in planning a vegetable garden is to decide where they should go. Tall crops like peas, beans and corn should be grown on the north side of the garden to prevent them from shading the rest of the crops.

The center should include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, pumpkins and other medium sized crops. The south of the garden should have crops that are “low growing” like carrots, beets, lettuce and onions.

If possible, the vegetable bed should run north to south as opposed to east to west. This allows for proper exposure to the sun and air circulation. Running the rows east to west tends to allow too much shade.

Ensure that wherever you decide to plant, the spot gets at least five hours of direct sunlight. Areas with less sun can be used to plant leafy vegetables and herbs.

5. Grow Vertically To Maximize Small Spaces

A small space shouldn’t keep you from enjoying fresh vegetables. you can use pallets, staggered raised beds, and even hanging post on a wall to grow a few of your favorite veggies or herbs.

Here are more ideas for vertical gardening in small spaces.

6. Plant How You’ll Water the Garden

Vegetable gardens need watering, especially at the beginning of the season, and during the long dry spells of summer. It’s important to have a reliable source of water close by.

You can create an environment that needs less watering by planting close and mulching. And setting up a drip irrigation system will save you hours of standing there, in the garden, with a hose in your hand (ask me how I know this!).

Here are 10 creative water conservation ideas you can use/adapt for your garden.

7. Choose the Right Tools To Easily Maintain Your Garden

Using the right tools to prepare and maintain your garden will make it so much easier and enjoyable! While you plan for your garden, things of the things you’ll need: something to dig with, a watering hose, a pair of pruners, maybe some gloves.

I need knee pads when I weed, and feel a lot better if I have a stool when I work in my garden. Think of what YOU need and get it ready.

Here are 15 gardening tools that will make your life easier.

8. Plan How You Will Control Pests

Pests are an inevitable part of gardening, but if you have a plan for deterring them, you’ll be in good shape. Each year will bring a new set of pests, depending on what you plant and the health of your soil.

Check out my guide to natural pest control here.

9. Incorporate Flowers to Boost Vegetable Garden Success

Incorporating flowers into your vegetable garden is a win-win: you get better vegetable yields, fewer pests, and a beautiful space to enjoy. Experiment with different flowers and placements to find what works best for your garden’s needs.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Marigolds repel pests and attract pollinators.
• Nasturtiums act as a trap crop and are edible (add some flowers to your salad for some color).
• Sunflowers attract bees and provide a natural trellis for climbing plants.

10. Try Companion Planting For Better Harvest

Companion planting is the practice of growing different plants together to enhance their growth, improve soil health, deter pests, and maximize garden space.

In vegetable gardens, certain plants complement each other by offering benefits like shade, natural pest control, or nutrient sharing. For example, planting basil with tomatoes can improve flavor and deter harmful insects, while marigolds repel nematodes and aphids when paired with various vegetables.

Companion planting can also attract pollinators and beneficial insects, helping to create a balanced, thriving ecosystem that reduces the need for chemical interventions.

By properly planning your garden, your chances of having a successful crop season will increase. You’ll also be able to enjoy the fruits (or should I say vegetables) of your labor.

Pin To Save For Later