How to Make Rows in a Vegetable Garden

Nothing says that vegetable gardens must have neat rows of plants, but rows make tending to the garden easier by allowing the gardener to move between rows to harvest, water, feed and spray the plants. Planting a vegetable garden in rows with each row devoted to a single type of vegetable means that identification of the plants before they sprout becomes easier. Creating these rows begins when you lay out the garden bed before planting seeds.

Things You'll Need

• Rake
• Wooden stakes
• String
• Measuring tape
• Garden hoe
• Vegetable seeds

Instructions

1. Rake the garden bed free of stones and sticks.

2. Place two wooden stakes at opposite corners of the garden along the line you wish to make the row.

3. Tie a string between these two stakes to mark the edge of the garden.

4. Place a second set of stakes the distance required between rows based on your vegetables, using a measuring tape. Consult either the seed packet or a row spacing chart for the distance in inches between rows for particular vegetables.

5. Tie another string between these two new stakes to create the first row for planting. Continue marking out rows with stakes and string until the entire garden area has been marked out into rows.

6. Draw a garden hoe along each of the strings to a depth of two to three times deeper than the width of the seeds being planted or according to the recommendations on the seed packet.

7. Plant the seeds by dropping the seeds into the rows at intervals recommended by the instructions on the seed packet or on a planting chart.

8. Cover the seeds with soil from the garden, according to planting instructions based on the vegetable you're growing.

9. Remove the stakes and string from the garden.

References

• University of Iowa: Planting a Home Vegetable Garden
• University of Illinois: Plan Your Garden Layout
• Delaware Cooperative Extension: Vegetable Garden Basics

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• University of Illinois: Spacing Between Rows Chart