CHAPTER 2
As a new gardener, a fun activity can be to put together a wish list of your goals and expectations for your perfect garden. As you do this, it is important to also be realistic about what will be feasible for you. It can take some thought, planning, and sometimes a little bit of compromise to build that idea into the garden of your dreams, but the planning process can be a wonderful learning experience.
Here is an example of some things to consider when putting together your wish list:
• How large a garden do you want? Remember: if you are limited in space, your options may be limited in this aspect.
• What do you want to grow, and how much? (This can always be adjusted year to year.)
• Are you just growing for yourself, or do you hope to sell your produce as well? (Again, this may depend on space available.)
• Do you want to grow organic? If so, do you have all the resources you will need (organic seeds, fertilizers, etc.)?
• If you have the space, will you have one large garden or a number of smaller ones? Sometimes making a few smaller gardens instead of one big one can have a positive impact on the look of the landscape, without affecting what you can grow.
• Do you want a simple garden or a more elaborate one? Just remember: the more elaborate, the more time (and money) it may take. A simple garden can produce just as well (and as much) as an elaborate, highly decorative one, and may even be a bit easier on the wallet and schedule. However, should you decide later on that you do want something a bit fancier, you can still do so and make the necessary changes at any time.
• Will you be doing companion planting? If so, then you will need to keep in mind which plants will do better together and which plants will need to stay clear of each other. You will need to take this information into consideration when planning your garden, even if using the container method.
• What shape do you want your garden to be? If you are building a traditional or raised bed garden, you can make it in almost any shape you want. The usual shapes are square and rectangular, but some are round or oval, while some raised beds may even be tiered (if you have the time to spend).
• Will you have small children working in the garden? If so, you may want to put in a small section of the garden that would be easier for them to work in, using plants like lettuce and cherry tomatoes, which will be easy for them to tend and harvest. If you give them their own small section or even their own small garden to tend to, then the adults and older kids can work their gardens without the little ones wanting to “help,” which can sometimes create problems. If you are growing for market, raising highly unusual foods, or any other situation in which you cannot afford an accident by little hands, it’s best to keep them out from underfoot.
These are only a few things to keep in mind when creating your own wish list. Your list will of course reflect your own wants and needs.
Container gardening, vertical gardening, and even small raised beds can grow enough vegetables to supplement a family’s needs, with container gardening being especially useful for the gardening apartment dweller who would have little or no yard space for a traditional or raised bed garden. It should be noted, however, that container gardening may not produce quite as much as a small traditional, vertical, or raised bed.
So, when creating a vegetable garden today, how do you know what size and type of garden to create? This is easy enough to answer. Since the size of your garden will be limited to your available space, the first thing to do is look at what is available as far as this space. Then you need to look at how much time you have to commit to the garden, as well as what is to be grown.
If you don’t have a lot of time to devote to a garden, a container garden may work best, no matter how much space you have available. If you live in an area where drainage or soil is not good, then raised beds may be the answer (see this page for more information on these topics). Whatever you decide, should you want to change course the following year, you can (provided you have the space). Don’t assume that the garden you choose this year will be what you’re stuck with next.
Another thing to consider is what you want to grow. For example, if you want to sell lots of pumpkins for Halloween, then a little two-by-three-foot garden of pumpkin plantings won’t cut it. But if you need just a few pumpkins for a jack-o’-lantern and some holiday pies, the two-by-three-foot garden would be perfect.
Don’t forget to consider your own physical abilities. If you have a difficult time bending, then a vertical garden could be for you. In a wheelchair? Then consider raised beds with wide, smooth walkways to allow for your chair to operate. You can also adjust the height of your raised bed to whatever is comfortable for you.
There are a number of things to look at when deciding on the type and size of garden. But saying this, don’t make thinking about the size or type of your garden an entire project in itself. Remember, if you make a mistake in this year’s garden, you can correct it next year.
A garden, be it flowers or food, can be as simple or as complex as you like.
For the purpose of this book, we will use the most basic of styles that were discussed earlier:
• Traditional: With the traditional garden, the plants or seeds are planted into flat, tilled (or untilled) ground. This is what most people picture when they think of a garden. These are the most inexpensive types of gardens to put in.
• Raised bed: Raised beds are exactly what they say: garden beds raised off the ground by inches or by feet. The garden beds are created in wooden frames and are usually built up at least eleven inches off the ground. Raised beds may be in frames built on the ground or in frames that are raised up on legs.
• Container: These are simply gardens in pots or other containers. The containers can be flower pots, wooden boxes, bags, or anything else that a plant can be put in for growing. While some plants may have individual needs once planted in a container, if you can pot a flower, you can certainly pot a food plant.
• Vertical: Vertical gardens may be either traditional or raised bed gardens. The difference is that everything grows upward. If the plant does not naturally grow upward, it can be trained to do so by using supports. Supports will need to be used with the vertical gardens, which will allow the vertical growth of the plants.
Any one of these garden styles may be found in backyards, city lots, rooftops, or on rural farms and homesteads throughout not only the United States, but many other parts of the world as well.
Traditional gardening. Photo by OakleyOriginals under the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0.
Of course, your selection may automatically be narrowed down by what space is available to you. An apartment dweller, for example, will have nowhere near the same space available for a garden as someone with rural acreage or even an urban backyard. And depending on the type of building, there may not even be a rooftop to use. In some cases, it may come down to a small balcony or some bright windows, in which case a container garden would be the only option. But no matter what the space, each will allow some sort of way to grow vegetables, herbs, fruit, or even some edible flowers.
Raised bed gardening. Photo by Lori L. Stalteri under the Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0.
To determine which type of garden you want to create, first put together a wish list of what you want to grow. For example:
• Do you want early or late harvest foods? (Usually, there will be a mix.)
• Would you prefer heirloom or hybrid plants (or perhaps a combination of both)?
• Will you want to do a late-season planting of cooler weather plants? Some vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and similar plants can have a second planting in late summer for an early to mid-fall harvest. Depending on where you live, you may also need to take zoning laws into consideration. Unfortunately, some areas see vegetable gardens as eyesores, and require that they not be in street view. So, if most of your available space is in the front yard, your wish list may need to be adjusted to fit the smaller backyard area, out of street view.
Container gardening.
Urban Farming
Usually consisting of gardens and sometimes a mini-orchard, urban farming can be anything from containers on a terrace to raised bed community gardens in empty lots. It is very important to check regulations on what is allowed as urban farming, zoning-wise, can be quite restrictive. Selling produce direct from gardens may not be permitted. Tools necessary for the urban farm are primarily common garden tools (shovels, rakes, wheel barrows, etc.), although community gardens may use small tillers to prepare large plots.
Suburban Farming
Usually traditional or raised bed gardens, suburban gardens are commonly found in private yards or community gardens. Although most suburban farms are in nonagricultural areas, there may still be zoning restrictions. Some developments may not allow food gardens in the front yard (some very strict developments may not even allow them in the back). Selling produce from the yard may or may not be permitted. The same tools used in urban farming would be used for suburban farms.
Rural farms are in the country, usually in agriculture areas. There are usually fewer restrictions in rural areas, though there may be requirements as to lot size if you plan to include animals. There is usually no problem in selling excess produce from a stand in front of the house or starting a farmer’s market. Tools are the same as for urban and suburban farms, but as available space in rural farms ranges from small patches to entire acres, some rural farms will have small tractors for tilling and plowing.
Remember, especially if this is your first garden: if some of what you try this year doesn’t work as planned, you can rework and make changes for next year. Most garden plans are not written in stone, so don’t be afraid to amend your wish list for the following year.
When considering what type of garden you may want to create, also be sure to consult Chapter 3, which provides a detailed overview of each style.
Vertical gardening. Illustration by Ariel Delacroix Dax.
Besides space and size, another thing you will need to think about is whether or not the garden will be organic. For a garden to be organic, it doesn’t matter what type of garden is created. Traditional, raised bed, vertical, and even container gardens may be organic. But it does matter what is added to the soil, which types of seeds are used, and whether you will use pest control. Choosing to go organic means a commitment to keeping your garden chemical free, as well as using only organic seeds and gardening practices. Although this does not mean fertilizers and pest elimination may not be used, it does mean that whatever is used must be organic approved, especially if your garden is to be certified.
Community Gardens
Community and neighborhood gardens are popping up everywhere, spearheaded by people wanting fresh foods as well as for economic reasons, not to mention many have already had a passion for gardening.
Community gardens are cared for by the people and families of the neighborhoods that the garden is located in, with all who participate sharing the bounty of the harvest. Due to the fact that a community garden would be much bigger than a backyard city garden, and can offer a larger quantity in harvest than a container garden ever could, this garden type could be a preferable alternative for those gardeners in the city who are looking to grow more than what they themselves may have space for at home.
Along with being a wonderful project that brings people in a neighborhood together, community gardens also seem to renew a sense of pride in a neighborhood, spurring other improvements and cleanups in the area as well.
Growing totally organic simply means that no chemicals have been involved in the production of the food. This does not mean that fertilizers and pesticides cannot be used, but they must be a nonchemical and labeled organic or approved for organic use. It may also include the use of companion planting and the use of garden-friendly insects for parasite control.
Although you do not need to purchase organic seeds to grow the plants organically, if you are looking for organic certification, the use of organic seeds would be a requirement, as the foods will not be able to be “certified” unless the food is produced totally organic, which means organic from seed.
Home gardens may be certified organic, but unless you have a very large garden with a large section of harvest going for market sales, it is not always feasible to become certified due to the high certification fees and record keeping involved. In fact, for most home gardens certification is really an unnecessary step. With that said, if you do intend to eventually expand into a market garden (a garden where harvest is grown for market), because the garden and soil will need to be pesticide free, it would be wise to use caution as to what is used on your garden and possibly begin to follow some of the organic regulations to make the eventual transition easier and faster. For information on organic certification and requirements, check the United States Department of Agriculture Web site at http://www.usda.gov. Most states also have their own organic-certification offices. Local extension offices may also offer information on certification.
Whether to make your garden organic is a matter of personal preference. Many gardeners will take it partway, meaning that they will keep their garden as organic as possible, but may use nonorganic fertilizers and/or nonorganic pest control when necessary. Either method, with proper care, will present a beautiful garden with enough vegetables (and fruit) to make it all worth the effort.
