Garden Size Considerations

Before we move on to site preparation, you should consider how big you want your garden to be.  If you are limited in regards to space, this section may not be of much concern to you.  You already know how big your garden can be.  If you have plenty of room then now is the time to think about the size of your vegetable garden.  I have a couple of tips below to help you decide.

The amount of produce you wish to grow is the first big factor.  If you are only growing tomatoes, for example, and you know you want to have enough tomatoes to eat some fresh and put some in the freezer for the winter there is a way to correlate that desire with garden size.

Each tomato plant should be given 18 square feet for optimum growth.  This translates to plants spaced three feet apart in rows that are six feet apart.  Given average growth potential, each plant should produce at least 5 to 10 pounds of tomatoes as a general guide.  Let’s assume that you want to eat maybe 10 pounds of tomatoes fresh (that’s about 20 to 25 tomatoes depending on the variety) and you want to freeze another 20 pounds for a total of 30 pounds, you would need to plant 3 to 6 plants.  From the spacing requirements above, you would need a garden size of only 54 to 108 square feet.  That’s for one person.  You can multiply the number of square feet by the number of people you wish to provide tomatoes for.  So, for a family of four, you would need a garden size of 216 to 432 square feet to provide approximately 30 pounds of tomatoes per person.

As a side note, I have produced a special report entitled “How To Produce 15-25 Pounds Of Ripe Juicy Tomatoes PER PLANT” that you can download for free when you sign up for my newsletter using the form on the side of this page.  The information in this report can save you lots of garden space and increase your production way beyond that of the typical gardener.

You can also look at spacing requirements found on the back of seed packets and plant labels to determine the amount of space needed for your other vegetables.

For my family, we have a vegetable garden of approximately 800 square feet.  In previous years our garden space was only 550 square feet and we always tend to produce more than we need.  The main point here is to remember that you can have as big or as small of a garden as you want and that your usable space will allow.  I’m always amazed at just how much produce we are able to harvest from our garden and you will likely be too!

The second tip I can give you when it comes to determining your vegetable garden’s size involves work.  Here I am referring to the amount of work needed to maintain a garden.  Digging, tilling, and adding amendments are all preparation considerations.  Plus after your garden is in place, you’ll be faced with weeding, watering, fertilizing, and training chores.  Don’t go overboard on size if this is your first vegetable garden.  You may decide it’s too much work and suffer ‘burn out’ the first year.  Remember, there’s no shame in starting small.  You can always expand where space allows.

Part 1 – Choosing A Site

Part 2 – Garden Size Considerations

Part 3 – Site Preparation

So, you would like to start a vegetable garden. Good choice! Having your own vegetable garden brings many benefits. You can have your own produce store right in your backyard without paying supermarket prices. Plus, by growing your own vegetables, you know exactly what goes into them. And finally, with the great variety of vegetable seeds and plants available to home gardeners, you get produce that simply tastes better.

The biggest hurdle that new vegetable gardeners face is how to start. In this series of posts I will attempt to help you put aside your fears and take action. We’ll start with site selection and finish with planting and mulching tips. So, grab a cup of coffee (or your favorite beverage) and let’s get started building your first vegetable garden.

Choosing A Site

This is perhaps the most important step in starting a vegetable garden. Many, if not all, vegetables require full sunlight throughout the day. If possible, your site should be situated in an open area that receives at least six solid hours of direct sunlight. Anything less and your results will be sub par. 

The slope of your potential vegetable garden site is important as well. The image above shows an open area with a slight slope.  You should try to pick an area that is level. I know many gardeners who grow on a slope and that is fine if it is your only option. The problem comes in, though, when you water or your garden receives rainfall.

On a slope the water applied will tend to run off to the lower portions of the garden. Common sense, I know, but some people are not aware that this could cause a problem. Your soil in the upper areas will tend to dry out quicker while the soil downhill will remain wetter and could lead to rotting issues with the roots of your vegetables. Therefore, it’s always advisable to choose an area that is level.

What about soil conditions? Well, that should be a consideration too. If you have a garden plot picked out and it contains many rocks you will have a tougher time preparing the soil in the first few years. I have this problem at my home. But, by removing as many rocks as I can each spring, I have been able to form a vegetable garden that has quite good soil.

Sandy or mucky soils should also be avoided where possible. Sandy soils tend to dry very quickly as they do not have the holding capacity for water. Nutrients are also an issue on sandy soils. Nitrogen in particular is very mobile in the soil meaning it is carried down by irrigation easily. Plus, the nature of a sandy soil does not allow for much holding capacity of nutrients in a similar way as with water.

Mucky soils, those high in clay, tend to work in just the opposite way as sandy soils in terms of water holding. They are often wet year round and will bring many problems for vegetable roots such as rotting and a lack of air transfer.

In summary, try to pick an area for your vegetable garden that gets plenty of sun exposure, is free of rocks, and does not have too much sand or clay. Sound like the perfect garden? It is! I would be willing to bet that your location won’t be perfect. Mine never have. However, don’t despair if you are limited to a less than ideal vegetable garden location. Many of the issues can be dealt with as long as you know what you are up against. The biggest step is to choose a spot and start working.

Part 1 – Choosing A Site

Part 2 – Garden Size Considerations

Part 3 – Site Preparation

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your garden soil may be compacted and need to be loosened.  Your garden may benefit from a practice called double-digging.  This task is not for the weak of back, however, and may require more than one person (or more than one day, depending on the size of your plot).  Here is how the process works:

• Start at one end of the area and dig a one-shovel-deep trench across the width of the plot.  Place the soil in a wheelbarrow or off to one side of the garden.
• At the bottom of the trench, thoroughly loosen the soil with a shovel, pitchfork, or pick axe.
• Next, dig another trench beside the first.  Place the soil from the second trench into the first. 
• Loosen the soil in the bottom of the second trench in the same manner as done in the first.
• Continue this process until the entire garden area has been completed.
• Fill the final trench with the soil from the first.

Here are a few suggestions and tips for double digging your garden:

• Never work the soil when it is extremely wet.  You will damage the actual structure of the soil particles.  This will do more harm than not double digging.
• Compost can be added to the top layer of the garden during this process.  Just remember to use well rotted (or finished) material.
• If you have an extremely large garden and have access to a tractor, a large plow can turn the soil over at a deep level.  This can be a quick and easy way to accomplish the double dig process.

The best way to avoid needing to double dig your garden is to walk on the soil as little as possible.  This may sound counter intuitive.  However, if you or your family will walk mainly on designated walkways, your garden will not compact as much.  Also, incorporating organic matter into the soil on a yearly basis and rotating crops properly will reduce the need to double dig your garden.

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Happy Gardening!

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