Planning a vegetable plot

[Alice Johnson]

What factors do you consider when planning what crops to grow on your vegetable plot?

[Greenleaves]

what we like to eat is number one for me. secondly it is all about avoiding gluts, little and often is the way to go.

[Bigmallly]

1. Only grow what you intend to eat.
2. Try different varieties for successional cropping to avoid gluts.
3. Plan in some complimentary plants to attract beneficial insects.
4. Have plans in mind to deter non-beneficial species...........ie. slugs, snails, butterflies, birds.
5. Grow the tallest crops on the North side of the bed to avoid shadowing of crops.

I'm sure there are more things but can't think at the mo.

[Snoop Puss]

What we like to eat and then divide roughly into rotational groups. I try to keep on top of successional sowing, but tend to fail...

[Cadalot]

Know where the sun comes up and goes down and where the shady parts of your plot are (if any).

Are there any expensive crops like asparagus that don't get crop rotated that you may want to invest in.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

My first factor when planning a "Vegetable Plot" and I have been asked several times is "aspect"

As a lot of vegetables to establish well will need one heck of a lot of "Sunshine" which unfortunately us in "Un-sunshiny" Britain don't get a lot of, face your beds south facing to give them the best chance, even if it means your plot looks un-symmetrical, likewise with a "Greenhouse" if you plan to have one on your new plot!

And as others have said, don't overwhelm yourself trying to grow everything, as you will just bury yourself trying to look after it all!

[Penellype]

I start with:
What I like to eat.
What will grow in my garden (mostly in the shade and in pots).

For the last 3 years I have grown all the veg that I eat (except things like mushrooms that I can't easily grow here), so I start with the top priority crops, which are potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peas, onions, spinach and broccoli. Once I have enough of these I add in the extras, which are usually courgettes, cucumbers, beans, beetroot, turnips, swedes and kohlrabi, cabbages, kale, leeks, parsnips, fennel and salad greens. I also use my windowsills and grow lights for salads, peppers and tomatoes as I don't have a greenhouse, and I have a few fruit bushes and strawberry plants scattered about.

A huge amount of planning goes into deciding what goes where, with sunshine at a premium and some attempt at crop rotation. I keep a note of what has grown in each area and container of compost so that I don't follow like with like too soon. Some areas are netted and these are used mainly for carrots and brassicas. Pots are moved around the garden as necessary to make best use of space and sunshine. Most seedlings are started off indoors to allow 2 or 3 crops per area or pot where possible.

Currently I have a spreadsheet of just over 100 areas and containers, with the currently growing crop (if any), the history of past crops for 3 years, what I intend to plant in it next and when, and if I am changing the compost, where is the current compost going and where is the next lot coming from - I always use new compost for cucumbers for example. Changes can be made to it at any time, if I discover a new variety to try, something dies unexpectedly (or lives longer than planned) or if I think of something different, but changing it can give me a massive headache!

This is a screenshot of part of the spreadsheet, a work in progress as you can see:



The buckets have numbers painted on the sides so I don't get muddled. Some of them have holes through the bottom and are suitable for standing on capillary matting, some don't and are not. Some have copper tape round and I use these for crops like carrots, while some don't but I can add a copper ring round a brassica stem. So it all gets a bit complicated...

I'm not really a nutcase, honest!

[lolie]

I just plant what I eat.

Every season I try to plant a pot or two of something I haven't grown before. I also try to plant something which "can't be grown" in my climate.

I don't worry too much about gluts. I'm terrible at culling seedlings but I'm pretty good at pulling out fully grown plants if I need the space.

This year I'm growing some stuff as microgreens/salad leaves on my windowsills. Normally I just start things off there but I'm determined to grow lettuce this summer.

I have plenty of space which could be used for additional beds (although most of it doesn't get enough shade). I try not to plant more than I can keep up with, though. Those little, daily tasks add up in the middle of the growing season.

[veggiechicken]

Planning???? No chance!!

[KevinM67]

Know where the sun comes up and goes down and where the shady parts of your plot are (if any).

That's what I was going to say !!

Following on from that, if you have the space - possibly consider the most shaded areas for a shed/composting area, etc.

Also consider how you will access the different areas of your growing space/plot - where would you install paths and such like.

For me, the planning stage is just as enjoyable as the growing and harvesting stages.

[Snadger]

All I would say is don't put anything in permanently for a couple of years at least. Have a rough idea of what you want and where but allow the plot to evolve over the first couple of years.

[Jay-ell]

Are we talking about what to grow in the coming year or about everything including perennials?

Planning for next year starts with what I like to eat - as well as what's left in the seed drawers.

I look at what I've grown this year and if I liked it or not (oca good, dahlias not so good), how well it grew, how much space it took up, how productive it was, how easy was it to grow, etc.

Then there's the weird and wonderful - unusual veg to try such as greater pig nuts, ground nuts, tuberous Nasturtium or ulluco (I may save that for later).

Of course once the seed sales come around any thought of planning goes out of the window and I'll probably end up panic sowing next year when I realise how behind I am.

[Mark_Riga]

Most above seem to plant what they like to eat, well I like tiramisu so I can't.

The main thing with planning a veg plot is deciding on the crop rotation. Most selections of veg fall into an number of families and can be planted in beds or areas, as many books and web sites advise. My problem is that generally, I don't want equal amounts of produce from the different groups. Also I'm not good at keeping records (I don't have any) so rely on trying to remember where stuff was planted in previous years. The main crops I would rotate are onions, potatoes and brassicas, I would generally plant peas and beans on a different site to the previous year but occasionally they go in the same place. The same with sweetcorn and squash. I have acquired a notebook so hopefully, I'll be keeping some records from next year on.

On a small plot, you might have a 3 year rotation some want 4 years and Robet Milne suggests a 5 year rotation.