How to Plan your Garden
If you are anything like this lady, you are starting to get excited at the idea of seed starting (maybe you even snuck a few in like me) and garden planning! And if you are anything like me, you always want to grow ALL THE THINGS.
But alas, this is not possible in our part of the world, nor is it the best way to approach your Kitchen Garden for a successful season, because a successful Kitchen Garden means once that is logical, beautiful and productive.
Here are my Top 3 Tips for designing your planting plan so you have the best harvest ever!
1. Grow What You Eat.
The number one thing to consider when planning your Kitchen Garden is to grow what you actually want to eat. Sure, it can be fun to grow that beautiful Graffiti Eggplant, but if you don't like to actually want to eat eggplant then why are we growing it?.
An easy way to see what you and your family are enjoying most is to review well loved family meals and recipes. This will easily direct you to what you should grow; eat a lot of salad, let's plant a salad bar garden full of greens, peas, radishes, and carrots! Love to make soup, planting celery, carrots and onions are a clear & simple choice.
2. Know Your Frost Dates Dates
Successful gardeners know that planting by first and last frost dates are key to a bountiful harvest. Some will say you should follow your Hardiness Zone, but using historical frost dates will provide you a more precise idea of what can go into the garden when. Also, Hardiness Zones are different between Canada and the US, so by using frost dates you can eliminate any confusion.
Below is an example of what Stouffvilles’ annual average temperatures were in 2020. Using this I can plan out my cold season crops and decide what seeds to start indoors, what seeds will be direct seeded and when to start succession planting for all those beautiful warm season crops.
source: https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/canada/ontario/stouffville-224742/
3. Map it Out
Once you know what you're planting and when, then the fun of designing the garden can begin! Sun exposure, space, and the direction of your beds are the keys to a well placed garden.
Drafting visual plans will not only give you an idea of what your garden and harvests will look like, it will also ensure that the spacing of plants is done correctly and thus help keep those pesky weeds at bay. Don't get hung up on the “perfect” drawing, but instead, focus on making a well thought out, densely planted plan that will allow for optional space, air flow & water usage.
Succession planning also helps to map out your entire season and ensures a long and consistent harvest. By planning for cold and warm season crops, vegetables are harvested throughout the entire growing season and garden space & output is maximized.
So there you have it - 3 easy tips for your 2021 Garden Planning!
“Garden as though you will live forever.”