A List of Vegetables Helps Determine Garden Size

The first step in planning successful vegetable gardens is choosing a sunny garden site. The second step is making of list of vegetables you want to grow.

Start by listing all the vegetables you’d like to be able to raise. This first list is just brainstorming. You’ll narrow down your vegetable choices later in the process. To get you started, here is are vegetables commonly grown in home gardens. Take note of the ones you’d like to cultivate:

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Beans
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Collard Greens
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Musk Melon (Cantaloupe)
• Okra
• Onion
• Peas
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Pumpkins
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Spinach
• Squash
• Sunflower
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Turnips
• Watermelon

Now that you’ve listed your dream vegetable garden roster, it time to start making cuts. Start by looking over your list and eliminating any vegetables your family won’t enjoy eating. Don’t waste time and money growing vegetables that will go to waste.

Rank the remaining vegetables on the list in order of preference. If you were motivated to plant a garden because you love fresh salads, rank lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery and peppers at the top of the list.

Study the vegetables left on the list. Read the back of seed packets or consult a garden reference book to determine the growing requirements of each plant. How much space will it take? How much water does it need? What other plants will work well around it?

Using the vegetables that remain on your list, sketch out a vegetable garden design. This will help you determine exactly how many vegetables you have room to grow. You may have to cut a few more vegetables from the list to make room for your favorites.

When you’ve culled your list, head to the garden store to buy vegetable seeds. Look for seeds that have been developed specifically for your planting zones. The garden store personnel can advise you on which vegetable varieties will grow best and even help you finalize your planting scheme.

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