Laying Out a Vegetable Garden: How Big?

The bigger the garden, the more work it requires.

When planning your vegetable garden, do not overestimate your ability. It's easy to start with a small garden and add to it. If your garden is too large, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the weeding, watering and fertilizing required.

Average Size

Beginner gardeners should start off with a fairly small garden, about 25 feet square, the North Carolina State University Extension website recommends. The 25-by-42-foot garden designed on the NCSU website would produce almost all the vegetables two people could can, freeze or use fresh in one year.

Small Gardens

Even a small garden can give you lots of vegetables, according to the Ohio State University Extension website. Try container gardening in 24-inch pots or plant in a 4-by-8-foot raised bed. The OSU website says a 10-by-15-foot garden can produce up to 200 lbs. of produce.

More Than One Planting

When laying out your garden, factor in different planting times. Start in early spring with crops that prefer cool weather, such as cabbage, onions, lettuce, cauliflower and broccoli. After their harvest, replace with warm-weather crops like tomatoes, corn and peppers. You can do successive plantings of crops, sowing a small number of seeds every few weeks during the season.

Think Vertical

Maximize your space -- and reduce your weeding time -- by growing vertically. Train peas, squash, cucumbers and beans to grow on cages, fences or trellises.

References

• Ohio State University Extension: Vegetable Gardening in Your Own Backyard
• North Carolina State University Extension: Home Vegetable Gardening

Resources

• Mississippi State University: Planting Guide