How to Size and Plan a Vegetable Garden
This video will give advice and principals for sizing a vegetable garden, and provide key points to layout a vegetable garden. Make sure you keep tall plants to the North of shorter plants to allow for Photosynthesis. And ensure you keep plants properly spaced as well as accounting for walkways.
Key Links
Engineering Graph Paper – really useful for any layout work from gardening to woodworking (affiliate link).
https://amzn.to/3scC3rM
My DIY Tomato Cages – low cost, strong, sturdy, and they store better than conventional cages
Vegetable Height and Spacing Guide
Cliff Notes on planning/layout of a vegetable garden
Vegetable to Canning Guide
Vegetable Plants Required per Person, or Square Foot Area Guide:
From Rutgers University
https://web.archive.org/web/20181025004627/https://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/urbanfringe-v07n01.pdf
From Michigan State
https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/files/Table%204.pdf
Again, I would suggest that you use those Plants per person/square foot guides with caution if you are new. They are based on farm yields over time, and are averages. So, your garden will never produce exactly like these guide, but they do provide a decent estimate.
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Thanks this is very helpful
Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video. I have been looking for this exact video. The video titles said they were for outlining or helping beginners.Tried last year and I was told I didn’t replant some of them deep enough plus I had some birds eating some squirrels and before I had something eating the leaves if have any tips on how to keep pesky animals out and I guess bugs eating my plants really appreciate the video best one I’ve seen definitely going to subscribe
I plan on incorporating more vegetables into my flower gardens this year. I love how well flowers and vegetables grow together and complement each other in my small yard. I’ve already started planning where my raised beds are going and where the walkways will be. I hope that 2021 is a better year for all of us. Stay safe and healthy.
Planning is the key to a successful garden. I have a 14×21 garden, and I opted for the intensive gardening method to increase my yield. For example, if a seed is to be planted 2 inches apart in rows 6 inches apart, I plant 3 to 4 rows 2 or so inches apart in those 6 inches. I also use plots instead of individual rows. I have 3 main plots 4 feet wide and 11 feet long. A path that goes around 3 sides of the inside perimeter of the garden and 2 paths between the plots. One thing to remember is, don’t be afraid to change your design from year to year. Think of a plan that works for you and what you are growing.
Pretty much one of the top four best gardening channels on the tube
Trying to decide between 8×12 vs 8×16… Probably shouldn’t take on too much as this is our first year of real gardening. We had tomatoes in pots last year that didn’t do very well, but no prior experience. One row of tomatoes, one row of potatoes and a row of beans. Should the tomatoes be planted on the north side? I heard they can get pretty tall.
Thank you so much for this video. Because I tend to over plant, I was hoping to try out selling at the local farmers market this year. The links you provided are going to be very helpful.
I’m a beginner gardener my name is John and your information has been some of the best I’ve seen and heard on YouTube I really appreciate the work and the effort that you put into your videos thank you very much I have six raised birdie garden beds that I’m starting this year wish me luck! Michigan
Love the videos thank you so much for making it simple
Go big or go home
Hi. Could you suggest some veggies a novice grower like myself could get their feet wet (so to speak) using a 2′ x 4′ elevated garden bed? Thanks.
Thank you!
Such good advice
excellent video!
So helpful! I am planning my own garden this year. Great details and hints that will help tremendously to someone new at this.
Thank you.
Very helpful! I am known to get garden fever and then poop out because of the sheer work. This winter I will plan BETTER with your suggestions. Thank you!
Don’t really understand those two thumbs down. The video/content is great!
This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you
Your links don’t work and your volume is too low. Other than that, great info!
I have 20×24 space!
We had cows for 3 years and just got rid of them. The last of the cows were on a back lot of about 4 acres. Our front lot is about 1/3 acre and our property is where the water runs off and through from the road and everyone uphill from us. The cows have been off this spot for about 9 months to 1 year. We have to manage the water directions but, we plowed and are planting in the high spot. How safe is that?? I would sort of considered it aged manure. The heavy manure areas are away from the garden area (also ‘older’ manure, but deep) We are in the process of removing the excess manure and removing it to a back area. I told my husband I don’t want to eat the vegs!! I am putting up old 3×5 galvanized troughs/~30 inches high and 1/4 inch thick for me, since I am almost 68. Had to have a welder remove most of the bottoms so they could drain good. I’ll put old wood, trigs, leaves, etc in the bottom part of my troughs and fill with good soil. The other 4-5 acres I am putting in native plants/trees, etc. That will take me awhile! Should I plow big ‘drifts’ in fall and seed? I’ve been putting trees in everywhere possible! I want to live to see some of the fruit of my labor! I thank God for every tree and plant that survives and takes off! Our veg lot is direct sun.
I love you for showing this. I was struggling to come up with a decent plan. Thank you…
Thank you.
Hello! Can someone explain how much is a 15 feet of row of tomatoes? And the first link for the sqf per person doesn’t work anymore. But it doesn’t really matter.
Hey!! I love love love your composting video thank you!
I love your dedication to the metric system
All the best
Eben
Loosely quoting you: "You need experience, you need to earn it." I made a garden in 2020 for the first time. I wasn’t prepared for all the animals that are hungry and losing habitat. This year the habitat is even smaller due to even more development and I’m building an enclosure. I learned a lot my first year, and, more importantly, I need to be mindful of how much I plan to do. I’m making space to grow as a gardener but I won’t use all that space right away. I’m hoping I make the space correct for the future but not to have eyes bigger than my stomach…. as you said, like my grandfather used to say. 😉 Thanks for an informative video. I subscribed for more.
I love the look of your garden. Mine is spread out all over the place, a few plants here, there, and yonder. It works for me, with very little labor to keep it going. I’m in the south so many of my veggies are planted in guilds under trees to shade them during the heat of the day, otherwise they would burn up mid-summer.
Nice–I’m just getting my garden going again after a 3 year gap–between a water line replacement and a new fence–well my new garden i’m trying something different it’s 5 foot wide by 30 foot long–we’ll see how it goes! Great info!
my garden is 50 by 40 ft. Its pretty much a second job to set up plus my bee farm.
3 days of going down the rabbit hole on growing a vegetable patch and this has been the most useful video so far, thank you 😀
Good tips ! Question, When you advise perpendicular to the slope (I apologize, new to gardening and a little unsure ) do you mean if you have a north to south slope your vegetable row should be laid out east to west? My understanding that right?
Is there anything you can spray for weeds on a garden?
This can get pretty overwhelming for a person like me who has only ever grown a few things in grow bags. Im in way too deep now. I started way too many plants. Im stressing over exactly how to lay them out. I should have started with a plan first. I guess Im just going to start transplanting and praying. 🙏 Theres soo much info on youtube. This video is actually helpful.
A lot of great information. Thank you for this video
I just made a 20×20 garden so glad I found this video
Really appreciate the straight-forward, actionable advice! Keep up the great videos. As a recent home buyer this is really helpful to pre-plan what to do with our empty yard for next season.
Very helpful. This is my first year doing an actual in ground garden. Have done a couple raised beds the past few years.