Planning a Vegetable Garden
Your vegetable garden layout will be determined on how much room you have available and the quantities and varieties of crops you want to produce. If you're growing your vegetables in the open ground, a system of narrow beds will allow you sow, plant, care and harvest your crops without trampling on the soil, and will enable you to concentrate on feeding the soil where it is needed - around the crops.
Most vegetables will only grow between spring and autumn, when the average daytime temperature is above 6°C (43°F). The number of suitable growing days will largely be governed by your locality; the latitude, altitude and amount of exposure. However, you can control climatic conditions to some extent by planning your vegetable plot to be in a sheltered position, open to receive the maximum amount of light and in a position where the soil will warm up quickly. Seasons can also be extended by growing under the cover of cloches, mini polytunnels and membranes.
You will also need to spend some time considering the rotation of your crops. This is a system where vegetable crops are grown on different areas of the plot in succession in consecutive years, which prevents a build-up of soil-borne diseases and pests specific to one group of crops. Rotation can also improve the soil for subsequent planting; for example, potatoes cover the soil with their leaves, effectively ridding the plot of weeds.
Intercropping is a useful way of maximising the space available in your vegetable plot, where fast-growing crops are planted alternately with slower-growing ones. The crops that mature quickly are harvested before the slow-growers need the additional space.
It may be useful to draw a diagram of the garden site, showing the types of vegetables to be planted, the distance between rows, and the time of planting. Including dates will help you remember tasks that might otherwise be forgotten.