I used to get so confused about what to would grow in my garden and when I was supposed to plant it. This will be my third vegetable garden and I think I finally have the hang of the basics to get started. I hope my list of vegetable garden planning resources will be helpful to you in case you find yourself overwhelmed with all the information you’re blasted with when you google “how to start a vegetable garden”!
Vegetable Garden Planning Resources
Like I said above, I have dabbled in vegetable gardening in the past and had moderate success, but I still consider myself a beginner. There’s so much to learn with gardening, and it’s a lifelong pursuit so I don’t see myself becoming an expert any time soon. Consider this post the first entry in my journal. The following entry is a list of helpful vegetable garden planning resources.
Garden Journal
I realized I needed a central location for garden thoughts and I didn’t want to use a notebook. I love notebooks, but I have like twelve of them going at once and I mainly make lists in them. I’d like to be able to click on a tag here on my blog to find what I’m looking for.
I thought that it would be nice to share my vegetable garden planning in case I have questions (I will) that people on the internet can answer. I can upload photos here, too, which is something I can’t do with a notebook. I’m sure I’ll post on Instagram too, although I am taking a break from it currently.
Hardiness Zone
The first resource I use is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find out what growing zone I’m located in. It turns out I’m in Zone 8b.
County Extension Office
Go to your county website and find a link to your local extension office, or Google your county + extension office. Follow them on Facebook if you (and they) are active there as they may link useful events. I recently attended a class at a local farm all about irrigation and there’s an upcoming class about beekeeping which looks pretty cool. This is a really good gardening resource because the they are usually affiliated with a local agricultural college and have master gardeners available to tell you everything you need to know about gardening in your specific area.
Soil Testing
Soil testing seems so boring, but it’s so important to the health of your plants and ultimately the success of your harvest. The harvest is the whole point, right? You can get a basic pH test kit anywhere you can buy garden supplies. Sometimes the county extension office offers a soil testing service or at least can point you in the right direction should you want something more definitive and customized than a kit. Once you have your soil test results you will be able to determine if you need to amend your soil for the best results.
Planting Calendar
I used the Old Farmer’s Almanac to enter my zip code to determine the frost dates for my area. These dates will let you know when your growing season starts and ends. You don’t want to plant anything outside after the first fall frost or before the last spring frost. My growing season is March 27 through November 6. That’s 223 days!
The Planting Calendar is another great vegetable garden planning resource the Almanac offers. Just enter your zip code and it’ll tell you when to start seeds indoors or outdoors and when plants can be transplanted (planted directly outside). I have a list of what I want to grow and by using the chart the planting calendar gives me, I have a rough timeline to use while planning my vegetable garden. For example, I’ll be starting tomato seeds indoors in early February, and I’ll need to have my garden beds ready for transplanting by April.
These resources are all helpful in the very early stages of planning a vegetable garden. It’s a good idea to go over this information in the cold months before the season starts so that you’re ready to take advantage of as many growing days you can. Happy planning!