Garden Planning 101 – Climate

Your climate will have some bearing on how you plan your vegetable garden.

For example, vegetables grow best if they’re protected from strong winds. So if you live in a windy area, plan your garden in a place where there is shelter from wind, such as beside a building or along a fence line.

You also need to make sure that your vegetables will get enough sunlight. This is especially true if you’re having to locate it somewhere to shelter it from the wind.

Vegetables will grow best where they get sun for at least half the day. If your garden is in your backyard and your house throws shade there for most of the day, it’s not going to be the most productive location.

Also keep in mind how the vegetables will affect each other’s sun exposure. If you plant tall vegetables next to short ones, the tall ones are going to throw shade once they get to a certain height.

Ideally, the rows in your garden should be run north and south to minimize the shade from one row to another.