Planning a Playful Garden Pt. 2
Did you start planning your 2022 garden last week? I’ll admit, I got a slow start, but I did it! I wrote down all the things we eat and categorized them for when they grow. Here’s what I’m growing in my 72 square foot garden this year:
From here, we need to determine how much space our plants require in raised bed that’s laid out with intensive planting in mind. Small plants are ones that grow swiftly and don’t take up much space (e.g. the parsley, arugula and radish on my cool season list - I can fit 9-16 plants per square foot). Large plants are ones that take up more space and take a long time to grow (e.g. the tomatoes, tomatillos on my warm season list - I can only fit 1 plant per square foot). The ones in the middle are things like lettuce, kale and basil, and a square foot area for these can hold 4-6 plants typically. Once you’ve identified how large your plants are, make another list like the one below.
Now, we need to make some planting plants! First, determine the size of your beds. My beds are 2.5’x7’x2’, so I can plant things pretty close together. If your raised beds are less than two feet tall, they’ll have less soil space for their roots to grow. Because mine are deep and I practice regular pruning, I can really pack things in.
Start with any plants that need a trellis or structural support, and place those on your map of each bed. You can use circles or initials to identify your plants on your planting plan. Next, place your large plants either in the center of wide beds or again the backside of narrow/border beds. Add your medium-size plants around those and then your small plants in the front. See the example below.
I have panel trellises on the back side of these beds, as a note.
From here, you can tally up how many of each type of plant you need and then make plans to either buy these as transplants or start them from seed. Next week’s blog will cover my favorite seed starting resources for those of you who want to dip your toe into that arena. I don’t start all of my own seeds, but I do try to start some each year so I can keep improving my setup.
I hope this blog post helped you stay in action as you move toward your spring 2022 garden. As I look at my own plan, I really do think this will be my best garden yet!
If you’re concerned about your garden’s setup, as in if your beds are shorter than 2 feet tall or just not performing the way you want them to, I have one consult slot left for next Thursday, January 27 in the morning. Click the button below to book it and we’ll get you the garden you want.