Vegetable Garden Planning 2021

Vegetable garden planning was not something I thought was necessary. Then at the conclusion of the 2020 growing season I realized a good plan is critical for a plentiful harvest. As I reflected on which vegetables prospered, which did not, and potentially what I could do better, I would like to share some tips with you.

2020 Gardening

2020 was more for fun and learning for Riley (3 years old) who loved helping me all season. I planted some seeds in egg cartons, they all sprouted (excepts green peppers), transplanted everything into the raised beds and called it a day. Some of our crops did well some did not. We happily (Riley was thrilled) picked any and everything that came fresh from the garden.

2020 was a first time vegetable gardening experience with raised beds, for me. 2021 I aim to grow better and will more experience and knowledge. I would like to share with you some of my pitfalls and changes so that you may avoid my same beginner mistakes.

2021 Gardening

This year, 2021, I have more knowledge and will approach this gardening season with more preparation. I plan to implement some of the old things I did as well as new ideas. I have learned so much over the past year and can’t wait to implement these new ideas and see how they pan out. The focus this year is on more container plants, providing trellises for the vining/ climbing veggies, and attention to spacing per “squares”.

I would like to mention that I am not an expert on this subject, but I did grow up working on my family’s farm for 7 years. I know things here and there and Google the everything else in between.

Last Year’s Vegetable Garden Planning

Last year’s vegetable garden planning consisted of: starting seeds inside in the windows, choosing where I thought they should later be placed in the raised beds, and direct sowing once the seedlings looked like they were ready.

There was no thought to how many plants per square is best or the need to prep the soil well before hand (compost and aerate). I thought sticking some bamboo stakes in the ground would be sufficient for the cucumbers. I’m laughing at myself now. I know better.

We planted: zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green onions (from kitchen scraps), red onions, and green peppers. The zucchini thrived for the first picking then died. Tomatoes did well, but tomatoes always do well. The cucumbers grew, but did not climb the stakes and curled up. The onions and carrots grew (on the smaller side). The green peppers never made it.

As one can see some veggies were a hit (tomatoes) and some were a miss (peppers and carrots).

This Year’s Vegetable Garden Planning

Information Gathering

This year, for vegetable garden planning I read more gardening articles, blogs, and listened to as many YouTube videos as there was time for. I highly recommend listening to YouTube videos as they are short and packed with information. Topics I focused on were: soil preparation/ recipes for raised garden beds, container gardening, when to start seeds outdoors for your area (tip: about 4 weeks before the last frost), general information on raised bed gardening.

Also, reading into how many plants per “square” for raised bed gardening (more about that below) is important and helpful. This should be done before starting seeds. Begin vegetable garden planning by information collection, then move onto the actual vegetable placement planning.

This is an example of how my beds will look this year:

Vegetable placement planning is based on sunlight requirements, complementary, planning, and plants per square. I like to write out my plan on paper to see what it will look like.

Here is a good visual for complementary gardening

There are 4 raised garden beds in a row along the side of my house near a water source with enough room to easily work between the beds without stepping into them. Blueberries and strawberries live in pots that may be moved to the back patio at a later date. I am still choosing to keep a small garden space as this is only my second year.

It took one afternoon of beautiful weather and napping girls for me to prep my garden beds and plant all seeds.

Soil Preperation

To prepare garden bed soil first, remove any debris and weeds that have accumulated there over winter. Once cleaned up, loosen up soil and add compost. There is a huge composting bin we added last year in our back yard. I added a 5 gallon bucket of compost to each of the 4′ x 4′ garden beds.

Using a shovel and rack I mixed the old soil, new soil, and compost together until even. There are so many other add in’s one can add to their garden beds, however, this is what I chose to try this year.

Seedlings

Starting the seedings is the easiest part of gardening, in my opinion. Seeds are typically planted indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost in your local area. More information on when to start seeds, weather, and frost dates by region over at The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Once planed leave seeds in a sunny window or take them out for direct sunlight each each day and bring them in at night if there is cold weather.

Containers for planting can me simple things you already have around the house or purchased at the store. I found a variety of containers in the recycle bin to start seeds in. Egg cartons are the best for planting seeds, unfortunately I did not have many saved when I needed to start my seeds. Old cupcake tins, yogurt containers, toilet paper tubes, and even 13″ x 9″ casserole dishes will work.

Here is this years seedlings, it isn’t picture perfect, but it will get the job done.

Once seeds are planted (with potting soil, preferably organic) give them a good watering and lots of sunlight. Be sure to monitor for extreme weather if leaving them outdoors during the day. or even overnight if the temperatures are warm enough.

Main Changes :Vegetable Garden Planning

Like I said before, I changed some of the things I am doing in hopes that my harvest is even better this year. Adding this easy DIY garden vegetable trellis, using more container for plants, and really planning out how many plants per “square” are the 3 areas I am focusing on this year.

Trellis

The first thing I knew I needed to do differently this gardening season was have a trellis for my cucumbers. I learned cucumbers love to climb as do peas, beans, squash, and melons (with support). After a little research I constructed this simple DIY cucumber trellis out of 1×2’s and nails. The whole project took about 3 hours from start to finish. More on that here.

Placement of the trellis was determined on not losing out on much needed garden bed space. I chose to place the trellis between two beds to reduce lost space. When placing a trellis ensure that you can still access all of your plants without stepping into the garden (compacting the soil is not what you want).

I anticipate the curling issue my cucumbers had last year should be solved with a trellis to climb. We will find out in a few months :).

Vegetable garden planning and Container Plants

In 2020 none of my vegetables were grown in containers. This year, I added 10 pots for strawberry plants and 2 blueberry plants. I chose simple terracotta pots, I love the look and I can move them around as I need/ want to. For now, the are living along side the raised beds, but I have a feeling once they start to produce fruit, my girls will want easy access to them on the back patio.

The appeal to container fruits and vegetables is of course the ease of moving them as desired. Another benefit is they are less likely to have issues with disease and other plants “stealing” nutrients. We will see if this pans out. I am dedicating pots to blueberry bushes (2) and strawberry plants (10).

Attention to Planning Plants per Square

The attention to planning plants per “square” was something that never crossed my mind last year. I didn’t feel as though my plants were overcrowded, but after reading some articles, they probably were. Plants per “square” is, essentially, how many plants you are able to sow in a 12″ x 12″ garden square. For instance, my raised beds are all 4′ x 4′ therefore, I have 16 squares to work with. Here is a quick reference that details how many plants per square provided by Erin over at myfrugalhome.com a little better than I can.

I am hopeful that all the planning and preparation for 2021’s vegetable gardening season will provide fruitful harvest. Trellising, container plants, and plants per “square” are the focus changes made this year during the planning phase. Only time will tell if these changes are what my garden needed.

Are you planting a vegetable garden this year? If so what types of plants are your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below!

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