The three essential steps to improve garden planning

One of my favorite things about the start of a new year is garden planning. I know, to some it may not sound exciting. However, it is the essence of a productive garden during spring, summer, fall, and winter. This post will look at three key aspects: garden space, what you will grow, and timing. At the end of this post, I will share resources that will help you go even deeper into the garden planning exercise.

Ok, let us learn more about garden planning.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Step 1: Garden Space

If you are like me, you have ambitious plans to grow many plants. Well, that is great. However, it is important to know where all those plants will reside. For me, that means following a three-year crop rotation plan. Each year I update the plan because, as you know, things change. However, it guides all my planting decisions. In addition, it alerts me where I may run out of space.

 So, here is a process to follow:

• Draw a picture of your garden. If you plant in beds, sketch out the number and size of each bed. If you plant in containers, have an idea of the number of containers and where they will be located.
• For each bed or container, define what you will grow in that bed/container. By doing this you will know whether you have enough space. In this step, I am not specific about the variety of plants. Instead, I simply put the common name of the plant such as tomato, lettuce, corn, etc.

The size of my garden and the number of beds does not change from year to year. However, if I need more space, I add containers. As you might guess, each year I add several containers.

Step 2: Seeds/Transplants

Next, you need to think about the specific plants you want to grow. For me, that starts with seeds. First, I take an inventory of my seed collection. During the inventory process, I pick out the varieties I will grow in the upcoming season. Equally important, I identify which seeds to replenish and/or which new plants/varieties I want to grow.

The real fun is picking out those new plants to grow. Each season, I try to grow new plants or new varieties of plants (think of tomatoes as there are countless varieties of tomatoes). Whether it is a visit to your local garden center or browsing seed companies on the internet, January is a wonderful time to buy or order seeds because you have the best selection.

You might be thinking, is there a significant difference between purchasing seeds at your local garden center and purchasing from a seed company? The biggest difference is choice. Garden centers have limited space. Thus, they usually only stock a limited variety of plant seeds. If you are looking for a specific variety, you may need to buy directly from a seed company. For example, you might be looking for a variety of basil that is resistant to diseases. For something this specific, you may need to search the internet for a seed company that sells exactly what you are looking for.

If you purchase transplants instead of starting from seed, then the next step of timing will guide when to purchase those transplants.

Step 3: Timing

The wonderful thing about plants is that each has a specific season for optimal growing. This is helpful to a gardener and in garden planning. Why? Well, it means that you can plant in stages. There are cold season plants and warm season plants. Just remember, timing is entirely dependent upon where you live. The following are guidelines and helpful resources.

Garden Zone

• Know your garden zone by clicking on this link to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Map. According to the USDA “The map is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, displayed as 10-degree F zones and 5-degree F half zones.” Here are two reasons why the garden zone is helpful:
  • First, it is a language other gardeners use and guides planting decisions for your location. While it is helpful to learn what other gardeners are planting, you must ensure that what they are planting will thrive in your location. The garden zone will be helpful in this context.
  • Second, perennials, shrubs, and trees will list the gardening zone in which each plant will survive and thrive. While local garden centers should only be stocking plants that will grow in your zone, just be sure to check the label. This is especially important if you purchase a plant in another state or purchase plants online.

Cold Season Plants

• Plant cold season plants as soon as you can work the ground. Cold season vegetables include kale, broccoli, cabbage, peas, lettuce, spinach. Cold season annual flowers include snapdragons, pansy, sweet peas. Always, research your seeds/plants to understand their tolerance for cold and frost. In my 6b garden zone, I can plant cold season plants as early as March.

Warm Season Plants

• The hardiness zone map is extremely helpful when it comes to warm season plants and probabilities for when the last frost date will be. Plant warm season plants outdoors after the last frost date for your location. There is nothing more frustrating than planting a warm season crop too early, just to have it die because of frost. Here is a link to the National Gardening Association which defines probabilities of first and last frost dates based upon your zip code/zone. Warm season vegetables include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant. Warm season flowers include zinnias, coleus, marigolds. The end of May is when I plant my warm season vegetables and flowers.

Pulling it all together

With the sketch of your space, the definition of what plants you will grow, and an understanding of cold vs. warm season plants, you are ready to create a garden plan. Let’s look at two scenarios:

Scenario One: Purchasing transplants

Here is what I recommend tracking:

In the example above, I simply added the ‘Days to Maturity’ to the ‘Target Date to Plant’ to arrive at the ‘Target Date to Harvest’. Day to maturity can be found on the plant label. This plan can also be used for seeds that are direct seeded into a garden bed or container.

Scenario Two: Starting plants from seeds

Here is what I recommend tracking:

In the example above, I used 6 weeks for seed starting for lettuce and cucumbers. For broccoli and tomatoes, I used 8 weeks. Hardening off is the process of gradually acclimating plants to the outdoors. I allow a week for this acclimation.

Conclusion

I have used this process for 5 years and it works. Knowing that I am organized, takes stress out of the process. I wish you enormous success in your garden planning! Additionally, I encourage you to share your own experiences or tips with garden planning in the comments section.

Resources

• How to create a simple crop management plan
• Crop rotation for the home gardener
• The complete guide to starting seeds indoors
• Using first and last frost dates to plan your vegetable garden
• Five steps to start a vegetable garden
•  Farmer’s Almanac planting calendar 
• Life expectancy of flower and vegetable seeds
• Four seed companies to try