7 Things to Think About When Starting a New Veggie Garden
It doesn’t matter if your a first time gardener or seasoned pro, it’s crucial that you consider the following factors when planning out your gardening site. Think about these factors no matter where you’re gardening, in containers on a balcony, in raised beds in your front yard, or elsewhere.
1. Sunlight Exposure
The most important factor to consider for your veggies, as well as flowers, is sunlight exposure. To thrive and do their best, most vegetables need full sun, which means at least 6 hours of unobstructed sunlight per day.
Some crops, such as broccoli, lettuce, spinash, and other greens, can tolerate less sunny spots. In general, the more sunlight your garden receives, the greater the quantity and quality of your crops.
Tip: In our warmer climate, growing under a shade cloth or in the shadow of taller climbing plants, such as pole beans, helps to expand the choice of what you can grow in these conditions.
2. Water Accessibility
Be sure water is nearby and readily available near your gardening site. There’s nothing worse than having to lug water to thirsty plants during a heat wave. Ideally, have an automatic drip watering system installed (or do it yourself) to make things easier and more efficient and help with water conservation!
Extra water is likely to be necessary during dry spells, so locate new garden beds close to an outdoor water source. The soil near walls, fences, and under overhanging trees tends to be too dry for good plant growth, which is why an open area is best.
3. Protection From Wind
Here’a a big factor for our area due to the Santa Anas. Be sure your location is protected from heavy wind. Shelter from winds is helpful for most crops, but it’s especially important for those that grow upright and produce abundant amounts of fruit, such as tomoatoes, peppers, eggplant, peas, and beans.
Strong winds dry out plants and soil, and can topple extra-tall plants like corn and sunflowers (GASP!). Wind also causes most plants to reduce transpiration and growth. Cold, dry winds are the worst, as they suck moisture from plants, searing leaves and causing wind burn, which destroys leaves and flowers.
If you’re growing in any kind of caontainers, make sure you water extra during windy times!
While solid walls or fences may provide shelter, they can also cause the wind to form destructive turbulence on the sheltered side, so don’t plant too close to them. Hedges and open or woven fences are more effective, as they filter wind rather than deflect it.
4. Soil Quality
Most of us in my area have heavy clay soil, so preparing your soil is crucial. Loamy soil is best, so you’ll have to add a lot of ammendments each seaon to be successful. This is of one the reasons why so many people go with raised beds.
“Loamy” soil is composed of almost equal amounts of sand and silt with a little less top soil. A good ratio is 40 percent each of sand and silt, and 20 percent of top soil. This is the ideal composition for growing most plants. If your soil has too much clay or too much sand, this will be a problem and you will need to amend with organic matter. Clay soil that remains wet for too long will suffocate plants, while sandy soil may drain too quickly, parching them. Both conditions inhibit nutrient absorption by plant roots.
Good soil drains well. If you wish to test the drainage in your garden soil, dig a test pit about 1 foot deep, wide, and long. This pit will reveal if there is standing water under the surface. It will also allow you to observe how the soil drains. To test, add ½ gallon of water to an already damp pit and time how long it takes to drain. If it takes a number of hours, that’s OK, but if it takes days, water may pool under the surface in the summer when you irrigate, suffocating roots and creating anaerobic soil conditions.
Of course, if you’re growing in containers or raised beds, you do not have to worry as much about the soil under your gardening area.
5. Level Ground or Gentle Slope
The ideal vegetable garden location is on level ground or a gentle slope. In choosing a location, avoid any low spots that stay wet in the spring. Also avoid gardening at the bottom of a slope.
Notice the topography of your property. North-facing slopes are shadier and cooler, whereas south-facing slopes are sunnier and warmer. Hillside soil is shallow, while valley soil is deep and rich due to erosion from above. Water runoff makes hillsides drier, whereas the bottom of the slope may be wetter. Also, higher elevations tend to be windier and drier, especially in winter.
6. Microclimate Factors
Almost every yard has microclimates, which are areas with differing weather conditions brought about by natural or manmade factors. Examine your space and consider nearby structures, trees, shrubs, hard surfaces, and other factors when you select your garden site.
Nearby Structures: A structure such as a house, fence, shed, or high wall will cast shade and lower temperatures on its east-, north-, and west-facing sides at varying times of the day. Meanwhile, the area on its south side will be warmer. In warm seasons, the ground in the shaded areas retains moisture longer. However, the leeward (downwind) side of the vertical object will limit rainfall, making the adjacent ground drier. Nearby trees and hedges should also be taken into consideration.
Shade: Deciduous trees act like structures, but they also have other impacts due to three-season shading. The ground under a tree canopy is slightly warmer and less prone to frost, although a tree canopy traps rain, making the ground underneath drier. This is further magnified with shallow-rooted trees such as maples, which will compete with other plants for moisture.
Hard Surfaces: Rooftops and nonabsorbent materials, such as concrete, asphalt, and stone, are impervious surfaces that do not allow liquids to pass through. They can create water runoff issues, with water channeled to areas depending on the slope of the surface. This occurs not just at ground level; even roof runoff from clogged gutters can drench foundation plants and encourage deadly root rot. Being dense and impenetrable, impervious surfaces also affect temperature. Sidewalks, driveways, roads, walls, or patios made of nonpermeable materials absorb and release heat. Even a house can absorb heat in the day and release it at night, so adjacent areas, especially on the south side, will be warmer at night.
7. Effort
When considering the location of your garden, take into account how much work it will take to create a garden bed in the space you choose. Keep in mind that you may need to:
Tear up grass and topsoil
Dig up large rocks or roots
Amend the soil if it has too much sand or clay in it
Erect a fence to keep deer and other critters out
Build a raised bed
Keep out weeds or encroaching invasives
Gardening can take a lot of work, so start with a small bed and focus your energy on it for the best chances of success!
Want Help Figuring All This Out?
If all of this seems overwhelming or if you’ve been frustrated with past results, I can help! I’m a certified Garden Coach and I’m available in-person or virtually to guide you through every step of the process to make sure you’re successful. Visit my website to set up your FREE Garden Success Strategy Session and let’s see how I can help.
