Choosing the right size for your garden can help produce the veggies that you want at a size that you can manage. Many home gardeners use raised beds as a way to reduce the garden footprint, grow lots of veggies in a small space, and keep the work to a manageable level. Even a few container gardens with veggies can be a good place to start.
Go big or go home – that is the question when it comes to vegetable gardens. Where do you start? It is easy to bite off more than you can chew when you are a first-time vegetable gardener. As a rule of thumb, you should start small then add if needed. A good starting size for a garden would be between 75 and 100 square feet. As you start planning your garden ask yourself the following questions: 1) How much time do you have to commit to your garden 2) Do you have easy access to water 3) What vegetables to you like 4) What are your plans for the produce when it matures 5) How will you store/preserve your harvest.
Next, take inventory of what you want to grow. Some crops such as leafy greens do not take up much space while others sprawl out over the entire yard. Determine what you want to grow but do not be shy and add one or two new plants to your garden.
Spacing is key to healthy a healthy garden. Each plant will vary on the footprint and spacing between plants. Tomatoes are a large plant and can take up 2’ of space and you’ll need 2’ of space between plants. Cucumbers when grown without a trellis will take up a 4’x4’ footprint. Squash will take up a 12’x12 space. Bush type cucumbers take a 2’x2’ of space.
A typical 10’x10’ garden space you could grow the following:
- 3 indeterminate tomatoes or two tomatoes and 1 cucumber on a trellis.
- 4 eggplants
- 5 peppers
- 12 bush beans
FAQs
A typical 10'x10' garden space you could grow the following:
- 3 indeterminate tomatoes or two tomatoes and 1 cucumber on a trellis.
- 4 eggplants.
- 5 peppers.
- 12 bush beans.
Beets, lettuce, kale, cucumbers, peas, radishes, cherry tomatoes and green beans are some of the easiest vegetables for beginners to grow. Summer and winter squash are also good choices for first-time gardeners.
What is a good layout for a vegetable garden? ›
Rows Vegetable Garden Layout Plan
The other rule of thumb when using this layout plan is to organize your spacing so that your tallest growing vegetables are planted on the north side of your rows. Follow them with medium height vegetables, and then plant your shortest crop on the south side of the rows.
What size garden for a family of 4? ›
So, for an average family of four, plan for an 800 square-foot garden—a plot that is 20 feet by 40 feet in size. It can depend on what you plant, of course; some crops take up more room than others.
How many plants can you have in a 10x10? ›
Most cultivators utilize roughly 70% of a room's floor space as the canopy. In this scenario, a 10 x 10 room can hold up to 70 plants. Efficient facilities take advantage of tiered growing systems. Each tier increases production capabilities and can triple a room's canopy.
Is a 10x10 garden big? ›
Beginners: If you're new to vegetable gardening, a 10' x 10' garden (100 square feet) is a great place to start. Pick 3-5 of your favorite veggies, and buy 3-5 plants of each one. This will give you a modest harvest for summer suppers, and it'll be easy to manage.
What size is a medium garden? ›
Medium Garden Design (100m2 to 320m2) - Garden Design Experts.
What's the hardest vegetables to grow? ›
These five crops are some of the most challenging to grow, but the rewards might be worth the work.
- Cauliflower. To grow thriving cauliflower crops, you need to pay special attention to when you plant. ...
- Celery. ...
- Melons. ...
- Wasabi. ...
- Head Lettuce.
Save Money Growing Vegetables and Herbs
- Try These for Maximum Savings. If space is limited, containers are an ideal way to start veggie and herb gardening. ...
- Tomatoes. ...
- Yellow squash and zucchini. ...
- Lettuce. ...
- Specialty peppers. ...
- Cucumbers. ...
- Herbs. ...
- Four No-Brainer Techniques for High Yield.
A handy tip is to cover the soil with some black plastic or horticultural fleece 2 weeks before sowing outdoors to help warm the soil up. Most veg are sown in Spring (March to May) although some such as broad beans and sweet peas can be sown in the autumn.
Radishes. One of the fastest-growing vegetable plants you can grow is radish. Some types are ready to eat in as little as 3 weeks from seeding. They are a cool-season vegetable, meaning they do best in spring or fall, before or after the heat of summer.
What grows well together in a vegetable garden? ›
Peppers: Peppers can share space with their relatives, tomatoes and eggplant, as well as basil, onions, and carrot. Radishes: We plant radishes together with carrots; they also do well with lettuce (which is supposed to make radish tender) and cucumbers (radish should help deter cucumber beetles).
How big should a vegetable garden be self sufficient? ›
In general, you'll need 150 to 200 square feet of garden space per person in order to feed everyone in your family year-round. So for the average family of four, a plot that is 600 to 800 square feet (20×30 to 20×40) should do the trick.
How big should a vegetable garden bed be? ›
An ideal size for a raised bed is 3 to 4 feet wide with the length to suit the space available. It is most often rectangular in shape and generally 8 to 12 feet long. The bed may be as much as a foot deep, depending on the type of plants being grown.
When should I start my own vegetable garden? ›
Generally March and April, when the soil begins to warm, are the best months to begin sowing many hardy annual vegetable seeds outdoors including broccoli, cabbage, chard, carrots, peas and parsnips.
How much room does each vegetable plant need? ›
Vegetable Spacing Guide
| Vegetable | Inches between plants | Inches between rows |
|---|
| Cabbage | 18-24 | 24-36 |
| Cardoon | 18-24 | 36-48 |
| Carrot | 2-4 | 12-24 |
| Cauliflower | 18-24 | 24-36 |
55 more rowsMar 27, 2007
