How to Pick the Perfect Garden Spot

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How to Pick the Perfect Garden Spot

 

Gardening is not as simple as some folks put it out to be. Many folks simply plant the vegetables or fruit wherever and hope for the best. Needless to say, this is a losing proposition and the odds of it succeeding are slim. Learning how to give your vegetables or fruit plants the best chance at growing requires some thought and planning. In fact, many of the more important aspects are overlooked on a regular basis by amateur gardeners.

 

Here are five such questions/tips that can help you pick the perfect spot to grow your crops:

 

How well does your garden spot drain water?

Drainage is a huge factor in picking the right garden spot. If you pick the wrong spot, you will be going crazy watching your crops drown to death in puddles or starve for water because it runs off so quickly. The best way to make sure an area drains well is to watch it for a couple of storms or rains. If the ground remains wet longer in your garden spot than in other spots, you are likely going to have problems. If the water runs off like a river, clearly you are going to have a hard time pulling much for your plants. Puddles speak for themselves but you have to pay attention, in that case you may want to contact a company that takes care of wastewater like SciCorp International. No water should stand for more than an hour or so after a storm, if so you may want to look into getting some wood 3 ply mats.

 

How much morning sun does your garden get?

Most people know that you need six to eight hours of sun but many are unaware that you ideally should have morning sun. Morning sun is great because it will quickly dry up the dew that fosters many different diseases and problems in a crop. Make sure you get more than enough early morning sun to really get the best growing spot.

 

How much room do you have for each individual plant?

Think about the crops you are going to be growing and ask yourself what kind of room are they going to have. Crops that are crowded will get choked off and not be very productive. Give at least a couple of feet between most plants and plan it out ahead of time before you pick out a garden spot.

 

Will your plants be damaged by external factors such as wind, kids, animals, etc?

I once knew a guy that put a garden directly in the line of fire of his kids daily softball games. With just a bit of thought, he would have known better than to put his precious plants directly in the line of fire. (Or had his kids relocate the game somewhere else) Wind is another big factor if you are going to plant on a slope or hill. What type of wind does that area get? Will it damage your crops? Do you have a large number of animals invade your garden? All of these external factors should be considered when you decide where to place your garden. You can always plant in containers and protect them when these factors are a problem. Planning is essential.

 

How long is your growing season?

Once again, this means you need to know what you are planting ahead of time. Some plants are extremely sensitive to frost. If your growing season will overlap into your planting season, it might be a good idea to plant them so that you
can take them inside. Frost is a common problem at some points in the year for most places. Consider this when you are picking out a spot for your garden. Valleys and dips can be a good bit cooler and be even more susceptible to frost so you need to consider the growing seasons.