Planning a Vegetable Garden this Spring?

If you understand the basics and plan accordingly, a vegetable garden can deliver lasting rewards. Choose your favorite edibles, but also consider your climate, space, light, soil type, and budget. If you're a novice, start on a small scale.

Understanding Timing

To determine when to start seeds and set seedlings outdoors, find out the first and last frost dates in your area. The number of days between these dates determines the length of your growing season; choose vegetables that will reach maturity within this span of time. Learn the basics of seed starting to understand timing and caring for seedlings.

Finding the Right Site
Choose a spot close to the house that remains sunny all day. A vegetable garden benefits from a level or gently sloping site and needs fertile, well-drained soil, regular watering, and 6 to 8 hours of sun daily.

Designing a Bountiful Garden
For scale, use graph paper to sketch your designs, keeping in mind the mature size and habit of each plant. Place larger plants where they won't overshadow shorter ones, and choose compact varieties if you have limited space. Start small; you can always dig more beds or enlarge pre-existing ones in subsequent years.

Preparing the Soil
A healthy vegetable garden requires loamy, well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Most vegetables prefer slightly acidic soil (6 to 6.8 pH). Start by taking a soil pH test or getting a complete test (for information about testing, contact your local cooperative extension, listed under government offices in the phone book).

If possible, clear and prepare beds in fall for spring planting, or prepare the beds in spring once the soil is workable (pliable but not too wet). Clear an area of sod, weeds, and debris, and use a spade or fork to turn the soil to a depth of 12 to 14 inches, incorporating a 3- to 4-inch layer of compost (or well-rotted manure and any amendments recommended by your soil test) into the top 12 inches of soil. Rake the soil until it is airy and level. Loose, well-aerated soil allows oxygen to reach the plants' roots more readily and warms up more quickly. If your soil is poor, consider building raised beds.