How To Plan Your Garden Space (Garden Bed, Container, Floor Bed, Layout, Etc.)

The idea of planning a garden seems simple. It's just planted in the soil, right? But before you reach this point, you must make several decisions. Every year, you should consider what is effective and what needs to be changed. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.

Land

The first decision we need to make is whether we should plant in a piece of land (ground bed), garden bed, container or combination. Every space has advantages and disadvantages. I personally use the combination of the three, because some crops are more suitable for these options in my garden.

Plot (foundation):

There are many good reasons for planting gardens on the ground. You will have a cheaper startup because you don't need to buy many supplies. The types of crops you can grow have greater flexibility. Larger crops such as corn and potatoes perform better on a piece of land. It is also easier to irrigate the ground bed with drip irrigation system (my favorite).

However, the ground bed does have its disadvantages. Unless it is an established garden plot, you must decide how to clean it up. You can use a machine or hand to plow, scrape the grass from the top, or cover it in autumn to kill weeds and grass (this needs to be planned in advance). It is also more difficult to control its fertility and composition. In my opinion, soil testing is necessary, so you will know how to modify your soil when necessary - if your soil is too acidic or alkaline, or if it shows a lack of key nutrients.

In terms of drainage, the ground bed also has difficulties. In clay, water flows very slowly, while in sandy soil, water flows too fast. Either way, in order to find the ideal medium, the soil must be improved. In most cases, this is a process that takes several years.

The soil in the ground bed will also be affected by the impaction caused by trampling, which is not very good for the soil structure. If you often use heavy machinery for farming, the situation will be worse.

Garden bed:

I have to admit that my garden bed is my favorite. I can better control fertility, which means higher yield. In general, I beat weeds less often than on the ground bed. Let's admit this. The garden bed is very beautiful.

However, growing on a garden bed has limitations. You can grow a limited variety of crops. Corn, black-eyed beans and stem beans do need more space, although a good solution for stem beans is to put them on shelves between beds.

Then comes the cost. The cost of processing pine material for each garden bed is about $50, but the cost will be higher when using different wood or purchasing a garden bed set. This does not include the cost of soil.

Garden beds also need to be watered more frequently because they tend to dry faster.

Utensils:

Although I no longer grow vegetables and fruits in containers, this method does have its advantages. In addition to watering, planting in containers usually equals less labor. You can better maintain soil fertility, and their mobility allows you to relocate plants when needed.

The restrictions include the types of crops you can grow. Although most people can grow tomatoes, peppers, herbs, pumpkins, lettuce, spinach, vegetables and carrots, it is more difficult to grow bigger crops. Plants planted in containers will also overheat quickly and need continuous watering - sometimes several times a day! Of course, you must consider the cost of containers and soil.

Position

After we decide the type of garden space to use, we need to determine the location. The two main factors of location are the amount of sunlight received by the space in the growing season (at least 6+hours) and the distance from the water source.

Layout

Once we have determined the location, it is time to start planning the layout of this season. There are several different methods for layout planning. The most popular types are row planting and square foot gardening.

Planting by row is the most common. The square foot gardening is another way. You can plant to fill the square according to the different crops, depending on the size of the plants. For example, for one square foot, you can plant one pepper plant and nine onions in another square foot. A tomato plant needs four square feet of blocks, while a pumpkin plant may need nine square feet of blocks.

Just like when choosing my garden space, I use each of these methods according to the crops.

I found that using my simple garden planner makes layout planning easier. The layout grid allows me to write the position of crops with a pencil. The matching planting guide provides me with the basic knowledge of which crops are most suitable for each other or in the distance.