Planting and Designing a Garden

1. Planting and Designing a Garden

2. Step 1 • Research the location of where you are planting • Determine the amount of sunlight and shade • Determine the amount of natural water the space receives • Determine the air flow

3. Raised beds • Typically made of wood and are at least 12” in height • Convenient for watering and harvesting • Gardener can create a good quality soil mix • Allow for more crops in an area

4. Raised beds continued • Less soil compaction than in flatbed plantings • Can be set up on any surface such as concrete patios or wood decks • Can be built to make it accessible to elderly and handicap

5. Flatbed • Most traditional way to plant vegetables • Planted in rows • Usually a two foot gap is left between each row for easy watering and harvesting • One disadvantage of flatbed planting is it consumes a lot of space

6. Container • Easy to make, manage and add beauty to any area • Must have holes for drainage • Take up a small amount of space • Examples • Whiskey barrels • Washtubs • Plastic or clay pots • Wooden crates • Baskets

7. Roof top • Make food use of wasted or unwanted space • Expensive to establish • Check with local ordinance for rules & regulations • Enlist the assistance of an architect or landscape contractor • Use as little weight as possible • Incorporate wind breaks into the garden • Consider ease of watering and harvesting from rooftop

9. Vertical garden • Saves valuable garden space • Have a tendency to cast shadow. Watch the sun for several days before planting • Examples • Trellis • Arbors • String poles • Teepees • cages

11. Soil • Determined by what plants you select • Soil type and needs • Soil ammendments

12. Now to Plan • Consider season of planting • Some geographic locations aren’t good environments for planting in summer and winter. • Consider types of plant you should use • Size and growth habit • Light availbilty • Water access

13. Planting your garden • Planting with seeds • Cool season crops – • Seeds that should be planted in the Fall Examples are : lettuce, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, collards, radishes and onions • Seeds that should be planted in winter (February – March) Examples are : carrots,onions, peas, potatoes, turnip, lettuce and radish • Warm season crops – • Seeds planted in the Spring. Examples are: beans, corn, pumpkin (harvest in the fall) and cucumber • Seeds planted in the summer. Examples are: brussel sprouts, okra, beans, cucumbers, • kale and radish

14. Planting with small plants Cool season crops – • Fall vegetable plants such as broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and onions • Winter vegetable plants such as lettuce and spinach Warm season crops – • Spring vegetable plants such as tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers • Summer vegetable plants such as okra, cauliflower, cucumbers and kale

15. Maintaining your garden • Stake plants as needed in the garden. • Control pests • Keeping your garden clean of debris and dead plants. • Check for pest problems and practice non chemical methods to control pests. • Harvest plants as they mature. • Do not let plants over ripen or decay on the plant as this will lead to pest issues.