Step 1: Set a Budget for How Much You’d Like to Spend on Your Veggie Garden
Your budget might not be as high as you’d like, but just get started now with what you can spend.
You can always add another raised bed or buy better tools in the future.
Step 2: Set Your Intentions for Growing in the Garden
Why do you want to start a garden?
How Much Would you like to grow in your veggie garden?
What Would you most like to grow in your garden?
Once you have your plant list, there are two important follow-up questions to consider:
2. Is it best to start these plants by starter plants purchased from the store or by seeds?
How much time would you like to spend in the garden?
Step 3: Observe Your Outdoor Space
Before picking a location for your garden, it’s important to take note of these five important factors:
Sunlight
Observe where the sun rises and sets in your outdoor space and consider how that will change over the seasons. Also, what type of structures block sunlight? Do you have mature trees that shade a corner of your yard? A garage? A tall shed? Ideally, you want your garden to be on the south side of any tall structures.
Pro Tip:
Veggies need sun to grow to their fullest potential. A general guideline is at least 2 – 4 hours for herbs and leafy greens; 6+ hours for root crops, beans, and peas; and 8+ hours for fruiting crops.
Water
Locate all water sources in your outdoor space. How far is your sunniest area from a spigot?
Ideally, you’ll want to place your garden close to a water source, or even better, have your garden set up for drip irrigation.
WildLife
Think about what types of wildlife you might have to contend with in your space. Do you have what we like to call a “squirrel highway” along your fence that would give squirrels easy access to your tomatoes? Do you have an open yard that deer could wander into? Part of your garden design might need to take limiting easy access to your plants into consideration.
Access
The final thing to note is where you have easy access to your home. You don’t want your garden to be in a forgotten corner of your backyard or tucked away in a side yard. Out of sight really does mean out of mind, so place your garden in an area visible from a window or the back door. That way, you’ll remember to regularly tend it and will be able to enjoy its beauty.
You also need to be able to get to your garden easily so that you can zip outside to cut some herbs or greens for dinner.
We want the garden to be an enjoyable part of your daily life, not something you slog out to perform maintenance on once a month.
Step 4: Select Your Garden Style
Your garden should feel like an extension of your home. Match your garden style (farmhouse, modern, traditional, eclectic) to the architectural style of your home as close as possible.
Note color tones and materials used on the outside of your house and try to select materials for your garden that match or mirror those elements.
Step 5: Lettuce Help You Grow
We know that starting a garden can be overwhelming (we’ve been there). We created Lettuce Grow Something to be a place where beginner and intermediate gardeners can learn to grow veggies in their own outdoor spaces.
A Lettuce Grow Something garden consultant can help you select the ideal location for your garden and plan what to plant for each growing season based on your unique goals and preferences. We can even design and/or install your raised beds for you.
Helping people start their gardens is what we love most, so if you’re ready, schedule an onsite or virtual consultation, and we can get growing!
