Planning and Preparing your Vegetable Garden

By Sheldon Barker

It may just be March but it’s time to be planning for your summer vegetable garden. A little planning can save you money, time, space and work. You can also improve the yields in your garden with a little preparation. If you have had gardens in the past, think about your past experiences and past gardens. What varieties did you like or not like? What varieties did the best? Did you have any problems? Would you like a bigger garden or a smaller one? Do I have enough space? What will my family eat? How much will my family eat?

There are several steps to a successful garden. First, consider the location and size. As a general rule of thumb, each person in the family will need about 2,200 square feet of space to provide enough vegetables to use fresh, canned or frozen. However, starting small is recommended if you are new at gardening. A garden will need at least six hours of full sunlight. While some plants will tolerate some shade, full sunlight will produce the best gardens. Also, the closer the garden is to the house the easier it will be to monitor for pest, keep watered and weeded, and to pick ripe vegetables.

The next consideration is soil. An ideal garden soil is deep, fertile, well drained with a medium texture. These soils are often dark in color however color is not a perfect guide to soil quality. A soil test from the University of Tennessee Extension can answer several about a soils fertility. Contact the UT Extension office for details on how to conduct a soil test.

Thirdly, consider your plant choices. What crops do you want to grow? How much space do they need? How long will it be until the plant reaches maturity? Considering these questions will help you place your crops in the garden. Check out the UT Extension publication “Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens” which can be found on line or at your local extension office. When buying transplants, look for healthy plants, and when buying seed make sure they are seed packaged for this year and not out dated.

Finally, consider doing a little research along the way. Keep notes during the year. What problems did you have, what worked, what did not work or what new variety do you want to try next year? Also, you may want to check out the publications that the University of Tennessee Extension offers on gardening or attend the Annual Sequatchie Valley Master Gardening Workshop. For more information contact the Extension office at 949-2611 or email your questions to sdbarker@utk.edu.