Garden Planning

If you’re brand new to gardening, one great system to explore is the Square Foot Gardening method. Popularized by Mel Bartholomew back in the early 1980s, his book on the subject, All-New Square Foot Gardening, 2nd edition [Here on Amazon], is an excellent resource. The basic idea is to divide your garden bed into, well, square foot sections. His standard example is to do four-foot square beds, dividing them into a grid of 16 boxes each. Plant something different in each box and as you harvest, plant something else in its place.

This system also relies heavily on companion planting. This is a concept that has been known since time out of mind. The principle is simply to look for ways different crops can benefit each other as they grow. For example, many legumes like peas can help to fix nitrogen in the soil in a form plants can use to their benefit. Companion planting also refers to keeping plants separate that don’t get along well with one another.

A great example of this is not putting in garden beds anywhere near walnut trees. The juglone that comes from the walnut roots inhibits the growth of many plants. There are innumerable references online and in books for companion planting, including several charts and such. Let Google or the search engine of your choice be your guide.

You don’t need to follow square foot gardening concepts to utilize companion planting, of course. Probably the most classic example of this principle is the Three Sisters, consisting of corn, pole beans, and squash. This system has been in use since time out of mind. Start by making a mound of soil, about ten inches high in the center and tapering a couple of feet in each direction. Flatten the top of the hill and plant four corn seeds in a square about six inches on a side. When the corn has reached several inches in height, plant pole beans about six inches from the base of the corn, one to each corner of the square.

Then, plant squash in a circle around the perimeter of the square, a few inches away from the pole beans. As the corn grows, it provides something for the pole beans to climb. The beans pull nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil. Meanwhile, the squash spreads out, providing shade to help slow evaporation from the soil as well as reducing weeds. On top of that, raccoons and other critters don’t like the prickly squash leaves.

If you don’t have yard space, look into container gardening. This involves growing your crops in large planters or pots on your deck, patio, or driveway. This can be a great option in areas that forbid traditional gardens, such as those governed by HOAs.

Another approach to consider if you live in an area that doesn’t allow actual garden beds is edible landscaping. Replace decorative grasses, shrubs, and bushes with food-bearing plants. You may sometimes see this referred to as foodscaping. Worst case scenario, you could hide your carrots and radishes in the beds next to the decorative stuff. Most folks won’t know the difference.

In many areas, now is the time to start seedlings indoors, so that they are well-established by the time the ground has warmed enough for planting. A favorite method in our home is to use newspaper pots. There are a couple of different “pot makers” on the market. The process just involves cutting newspaper into strips, then rolling it into a cylinder and folding the bottom tight. They work really well and this is a great way to recycle newspaper.

Something to keep in mind. There is a school of thought that says all you need to do is have a stash of heirloom seeds on hand in case of a major collapse. Then, just plant the seeds and, Voila! you have a renewable food source. It really doesn’t work like that. Gardening takes effort, practice, and time in order to be successful. There is no better time than the present to get started.