How to Choose the Best Site for Your Vegetable Garden

Choose an ideal spot for your garden to ensure a bountiful harvest.

Growing your own vegetables in a backyard garden is both gratifying and beneficial. Whether you want to plant a vegetable garden to save money on your grocery bill, grow specific types of vegetables or simply gain the satisfaction of watching the plants grow from seeds to mature plants, selecting the best location for the garden is vital. Take the time to find the ideal spot for your garden to ensure both a successful growing season and a bountiful harvest.

Instructions

1. Find a site with well-drained and fertile soil. If this is not possible, incorporate organic matter into the selected site or create raised beds to use.

2. Choose a level location in an area with at least six hours of full sunlight. Leafy or rooting vegetables that don't fruit will do fine with this or less sunlight. However, tomatoes, peppers and other fruiting vegetables grow best in a site with a full day of sunshine.

3. Pick a site that is near both a water supply and you. Vegetable gardens require a lot of water, but also necessitate constant care throughout the growing season, such as weeding, pest control and harvesting. The more convenient the garden site is, the better chances you will keep up with the required maintenance.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider the overall size when selecting your garden site and do not attempt a large vegetable garden, particularly if this is your first garden. Otherwise, you may become overwhelmed.

References

• The University of Maine; Planning a Home Vegetable Garden; Richard J. Brzozowski
• Colorado State University; Vegetable Garden Site Tips; Steve Cramer; January 2010

Resources

• University of Maryland; Grow It Eat It; Erica Smith; March 2009