Set the Plot

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Robert Dolezal

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Vegetables benefit when they have sufficient room to grow.

Row gardens are among the most common vegetable plantings. In sites where good, rich soil is found naturally on a level site with good sun exposure and shelter from wind, your garden may be dug directly into the soil.

If you’re preparing a vegetable garden plot in soil that was formerly used to grow turfgrass lawn or landscape plants, you’ll need to remove all of the turf and plant roots first, then loosen the soil at least 18 inches deep. (Many vegetable plants have root systems that send down shoots even deeper than that, but the majority of all beneficial soil microbes are found in the topsoil layer. Their digestion releases minerals that your vegetables need to grow and thrive, and loosening the soil greatly increases both their numbers and production.)

Take the time to lay out your beds using careful measurements. While free-form beds can be attractive, rectangular beds are neat and orderly. (To ensure the sides are equal and parallel, make sure the corner diagonals are equal.) Allow ample space between plots for access paths; temporary access can be made easier by laying planks alongside your rows, while all the permanent paths should be large enough to provide easy passage for wagons, wheelbarrows or garden carts.

What you grow depends on how you prepare your plot for planting. Some crops (like carrots) should be grown flat on the ground, while others (like vining plants) should planted in hills (or mounded areas). Prepare for planting by making the appropriate flat areas to sow scattered seed (or plant your starter plants), or raising hills or forming rows for your other crops.

Facts

Before setting your plot for planting, your soil should be thoroughly loosened, with all amendments and fertilizers already added.
Leaving room between plants, rows and beds has several advantages. First, air circulation allows foliage to dry quickly. Second, allowing space between plantings helps prevent pests and diseases from establishing and spreading. Third, maintenance and care is easier.

Tips

Pave paths with nonskid materials such as wood chips, bark or pea gravel.
When it’s time for planting, use stakes and string to mark neat, even rows in your plots. As the sprouts emerge, they’ll line up in even ranks like soldiers, making it easy to distinguish your vegetables from any weed sprouts.

Tools

Galvanized wire mesh barriers buried beneath the soil, along the perimeter of your vegetable garden, can help prevent burrowing animals from eating your plants if they’re common in your region.

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