Gardening may be an art, but there are a some technical items to consider. Additionally, the idea of gardening tends to be appealing to many, but gardening is work. Careful planning will take some of the difficulty and toil out of gardening.
Location for Fall Garden
Garden location is one of the most important items to consider before planting. A garden should be close to the home. Convenience is important, especially when toting tools, watering, and harvesting. A garden must be close enough to a water source for a garden hose to reach, or for the gardener to carry water. Enough sunlight is also a consideration. Vegetables need six to eight hours of sunlight to produce well. In the case of vegetables and sunlight, more is better. Keep the garden away from structures that might obstruct the sun at any given time of day. Also keep the garden away from ornamental plant beds. Ornamental plants compete with vegetables for water and nutrients. Keep the vegetable garden away from trees as well, for the same reasons.
Fall Garden Space
This might sound like a simple idea, but preparing enough space is frequently the bane of gardeners. The space doesn’t need to be big. A plot four feet wide and eight feet long is sufficient to grow a good amount of vegetables. The real question to pose is how big a garden does a person want. Another question is how big a garden can one person care for. Consideration should be given to how much time will be required to grow and care for the garden, and how much work will be involved. A good rule of thumb is to figure the number of plants and produce a family can consume. Thirty broccoli plants may be a bit much unless some of the produce goes to neighbors, friends or the Food Bank.
Make Sure of Your Right Planting Zone
The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a planting zone map, also called a Cold Hardiness Zone map. This map breaks down all areas of North America into areas, and indicates the coldest average winter temperature of each zone. There are 10 zones in the U.S. ranging from 1 (the coldest) to 12 (warmest). It’s important to understand which cold hardiness zone one gardens in, because some varieties of plants may do better in one zone than another. The Cold Hardiness Zone map is available online at the National Arboretum.
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