HO-5
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Life Science Library
YARD AND GARDEN
HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT • COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • PURDUE UNIVERSITY • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47007
PLANNING THE VEGETABLE GARDEN
John A. Wott
Plan before you plant!
Planning is the first and most basic activity for vegetable gardening. Planning saves time when you're ready to plant. It also gives you an idea of the kinds of varieties and quantities of seeds or plants you'll need. Most important though, planning helps assure that your garden will contain the vegetables your family wants and needs. Plan and you will enjoy your vegetable gardening.
Gardening Location
Vegetables grow best in an open, level area where the soil is loose, rich, and well-drained. If the soil is poor, mix in 2-3 inches of top soil, sawdust, strawy manure, peatmoss, or compost plus fertilizer. Avoid shady spots, heavy clays and sandy soils, and locations near trees and shrubs where the vegetables must compete for nutrients.
Planning on Paper
Before the season starts (January or February), make a rough blueprint of your garden plot. Include the vegetables you will plant, which rows they will be in, distance between rows, and expected planting date. Refer to the Vegetable Planting Guide for help.
Keep early vegetables, such as lettuce, radishes, and onions together. This also applies to the tall-growing ones like sweet corn and pole beans. For proper pollination, corn should be planted in blocks of several rows, not in a single long row.
To stretch out the harvest season, plan several small plantings of corn and beans every week, rather than a single large planting. Also, some crops can be planted after earlier ones are harvested. Tomatoes, lettuce, and sweet corn are especially good for home gardens.
Don't plan for more than you can take care of! Remember that a 50' x 20' garden takes at least two hours of care per week, and perhaps even more in the spring.
Equipment
Hoe, rake, shovel, garden hose, and a sprinkler are standard gardening equipment. Also, a good duster or sprayer for pest control is a must. Don't forget fertilizer, starter solution, mulch, short stacks and string to mark rows, and 7- to 8-foot stakes for tomatoes or pole beans. Hot caps, which are transparent paper plant covers, aid in frost protection.
Plowing is the preferred method for soil preparation, but deep rototilling is acceptable. A long-handled, wheeled cultivator eases weed control.