Nothing beats the winter blues like dreaming about how amazing your garden will be this spring! I know it feels like forever away, but gardening season is right around the corner, and your first crops will be starting within the next month. Wondering when you should be starting your seedlings? Portland Nursery's Plant Calendar is a great reference for folks living in the PacNW to plan their seed starts.
As you explore what you want to grow this year, there are a few things that you should take into consideration before you get too far ahead of yourself.
Understand your garden's microenvironments:
When planning your garden, take note of the microenvironment in each gardening spot throughout the year so you can optimize for the different plants you are growing. Even during the growing season the shaded areas of my garden change pretty drastically, so short season crops that need sun may do very well in the further most right boxes in June/July, but may not receive enough sun in May/August to thrive. Knowing your garden will be key to your success.
More isn't always better:
My initial thought is always to get as much into my limited space as possible, but too many plants can actually lower the yield of all of the plants as they compete for resources. This can also lead to a lot more work on your end to maintain and water them. I recommend erring on the conversative side, and just doing additional succession planting if you find you still have available space.
Days to harvest:
I've shared this in previous posts, but in the Maritime PacNW days to harvest is usually quite a bit longer than the days advertised on seed packets. As a general rule of thumb, increase the days to harvest by 25% of the listed days.
Succession planting:
Succession planting is a great way to maximize your harvest and evenly distribute it throughout the growing season. To do this I've found it helpful to break my gardening plans into months so I can visualize where I'll be adding/removing things throughout the season.
Take into consideration the height and width of nearby plants (and how that relates to the sunlight):
I know this a duh moment, but many a carrot have fallen due to my poor planning. Sure those broccoli look really cute and small when you plant them and you tell yourself that you can easily squeeze a few more in, but who knew they were going to end up 3 feet tall? Really be mindful of the mature size of the things you plant, and visualize how that will change the microenvironment for the plants around it.
Crop rotation:
Do as a I say not as I do with this one... It can be pretty challenging to successfully do crop rotation in limited garden spaces, but it is highly advised to reduce diseases and rejuvenate the soil. The concept is pretty straightforward, if you grow nightshades (tomatoes/peppers/eggplants/potatoes) for instance, do not grow them in the same location for another 2-3 years.
Companion planting:
Isn't it just too cute to see happy plant friends together?! Companion planting is a great way to maximize your harvest, reduce pests organically, and some say it can actually enhance the flavors of the crops you are growing. Another bonus is a lot of the great companion plants are flowers and herbs which give you garden a pop of color and layering.
Examples of companion plants:
Strawberries and onions
Cucumbers and peas or beans
Tomatoes and basil, onions, marigolds, and lettuce
Squash, corn, and beans (aka the 3 sisters)
Examples of what not to plant together:
Strawberries and brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)
Peas or beans and onions, garlic, or chives
Creating your gardening plan:
Below is an example of my gardening plan from last year - google sheets/excel do the job, but I'm sure there are more creative ways you can explore 😊 . You can see on the right the section that is generally shaded by trees after 1-2PM each day, so I made sure to sow shade tolerant plants in this area. I also have all of my shorter plants (garlic, onions, strawberries, etc) towards the front because our property is SE facing and this maximizes the amount of sun they receive each day.
Each of the outlined boxes represent either 4x4 or 2x4 beds which gives some perspective on spacing and the overall size of my garden. There are also a lot of resources available if you'd like to explore square foot gardening which tends to be even more compact and really emphasizes maximizing yield in limited spaces.
As I mentioned above, I do think there is value in having a monthly plan for May-August to help you with succession planting and to better visualize how the microenvironments and crop variety will shift throughout the growing season.
Do I ever fully stick to my garden plan? NEVER. But it gives me a general idea of where I want to plant things, makes me think critically about what I am going to plant that year, and helps me plan for succession plantings. Bonus, is it reduces my urge to buy every plant that "I need to have" every time I go to the nursery 😂.
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