Where Can I Plant Vegetables In My Yard?

The short answer to this question is “Anywhere you have the proper growing conditions for the plants you want to grow”.  So, for those that have limited reading time, stop here and grow grow something.  For those who would like a bit more detail, pop some popcorn and settle in for a good read.

The longer answer to this question can be explained best by looking at the requirements of any plant:

• Soil type preferred (growing medium)
• Water requirements
• Light requirements
• Growing period needed

Soil Type (Growing Medium)

Soil is probably the most important factor when trying to produce a quality vegetable.  If the soil doesn’t fit the vegetable, the outcome will be less than desirable.  Some soils are sandy and others are more clay based.  Some have little organic matter, others have no soil in them at all (soil-less mix).  The list can go on and on.  The important thing is to make sure that you are growing the vegetables in the right medium for best results

Water Requirements

There is nothing worse than to do the work of putting in a garden and then not having the right amount of water available to see those vegetables thrive.  Their water requirements will depend on the variety and type, your climate and location, and the availability of water on site.  For instance, if you have to haul the water to your garden in a bucket everyday, chances are, those vegetable will not get watered as often as they should.  At least that would be my case.

Light Requirements

Every vegetable you plant will need a certain amount of sunlight.  Some can grow well in a  cooler, more shaded area, such as lettuce and other leafy vegetables.  Others need all the sun they can get, such as watermelon.  It is important that you give the right vegetables the right amount of light.

Growing Period

If you want to feel successful in growing vegetables, make sure to try varieties that will mature in your growing season.  For example, I would not try and grow a long season wine grape in my yard in Utah.  I just don’t have enough frost free days for a great quality wine grape.  But concord grapes thrive great on my north property line.

Being the inquisitive person I am, I have several types of growing areas in my yard and I try different things each year.  I have a dedicated garden plot, some grow boxes, a few flowerbeds, a couple containers, and a window sill.  (I’ll try and include some pictures of each through this next year)  My garden plot is about 30 feet by 30 feet with a dedicated drip system for watering.  My grow boxes consist of two 3 foot by 5 foot boxes filled with a soil-less planting medium.  The flowerbeds are full of flowers except for some spaces here and there where certain vegetables can be grown and enhance the landscape design.  The containers sit on my patio or porch where needed and can work great for herbs and flowers.  And the window sill is a great place in the house for sprouts, herbs, and staring seeds.

I guess my bottom line advice to you would be to try and put vegetables where ever you have the space and watch and learn.  Through some effort, you will be able to find what you can plant where and get some incredible results.  And in the words of Larry Sagers (Instructor for all Utah Advanced Master Gardeners), “If is doesn’t work, tell people that it was research.”

When Do You Begin The Gardening Season?

Well if you are anything like me, by the end of November, you are ready to put your gardening tools away for the winter (and you hope it is a long winter).  And then, by the middle of January, you can’t wait until spring arrives and you can get your fingers into the soil again.  For me, this creates quite the mental and emotional dilemma.

Luckily, I have found that I can feed my garden addiction in late December to early January by spending the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day pouring over the piles of catalogs that I subscribe to and start planning out the vegetable garden for the next year.  This is a great time of the year to plan things out for the upcoming spring and growing season.  And this is what I consider to be the beginning of my gardening season.

– side note –I guess it is time for a confession…not only am I a gardener, I am a planner.  Some would consider this a character flaw, and someday…maybe I will outgrow it.  But for now, spreadsheets, graphpaper, pencils, sticky notepads, and a calculator are really good friends of mine.
– end side note –

So, with my spreadsheet of my current seeds in front of me and a stack of wonderful seed catalogs, I nestle myself down with a cup of hot chocolate and start perusing.  As I look through the catalogs, I look for any new varieties that might catch my eye and tag them with a small sticky note.  I also look for the “tried and true” varieties that I may be running low on my seed supply and tag those in the catalogs.  With my catalogs tagged and sticky notes everywhere, I am ready to start to plan out my vegetable garden plot. Now, my vegetable garden consists of a few different pieces, including a dedicated growing plot, some grow beds, and some spots here and there throughout my landscaped yard.  For details on my garden plots, you can check out my “Where Can I Plant Vegetables In My Yard?” blog post.  I start planning where I will be planting what and usually plot it out on some graph paper. So, for those of you that are itching to get started with gardening this year and don’t know what to do with 12 inches of snow outside, this is a great relaxing exercise that prepares you for the coming growing season.