Plants produce one of the best foods in the world. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of essential nutrients that would keep you healthy. Nutrient contents are based on their color. For instance, red and orange-colored vegetables contain a high amount of Vitamin C. Dark green vegetables are rich in iron. It would be a good garden idea to learn vegetable garden layout plans and spacing so you can start gardening and producing fresh fruits and vegetables.
Planning A Vegetable Garden
When planning to develop a vegetable garden, you first have to choose a good site. A good location means the soil is loose, rich, and well-drained. These criteria contribute to the healthy growth of the plants. Also, the vegetables will not grow in poorly drained soil. It must be well irrigated. Also, plants need at least 6 hours of sunlight, so choose the location that is away from high buildings or huge trees. And do not plant the vegetable near large trees because they compete with the plants’ water and soil nutrients.
Deciding on the location of the garden may depend on the type of plants you want to grow or the size of the garden. Sometimes, it would be challenging to plan when you only have limited spaces. Like if you are living in an apartment in an urban area, you can try urban gardening. You hang plants with soil and place it in a pot like the vertical gardening technique. Just remember to apply vegetable garden layout plans and spacing to achieve a healthy yield.
Vegetable Garden Layout
Designing a layout on your vegetable garden will greatly help your plant’s growth. Observing vegetable garden layout plans and spacing also ensure equal distribution of soil nutrients. The gardening layout is usually base on the spacing requirements of the vegetable you will plant. There are different types of garden layout that you can take advantage of. Below are a few easy layouts that you can apply to your garden.
Rows Layout
The most common planting layout for vegetables is planting them in rows. This is characterized by a long straight line running south to north direction. It allows them to get enough sunlight. When you plant them on the east to west orientation, there is a tendency the other plants get shaded by the plant beside them.
Four Square Plan
The Four-Square plan is one of the layouts for gardening that is done by dividing the portion of the soil bed into four parts. It is like four squares inside a larger square. Each square represents a different soil bed. This means every square contains plants that need the same amount of nutrients. You can use this layout if you are practicing crop rotation. Crop rotation helps in preventing the occurrence of pest and soil disease.
Square foot Plan
Square foot plan is set up into a grid of 4x4 squares. You can use of string or wood stick to divide the bed into four equal squares. You can plant more than one variety of vegetable in one square with the proper spacing. This type of gardening layout is neat. A great layout to apply for beginners.
Blocks
Planting vegetables by blocks is a basic planting plan. So instead of planting your crop into a long single row, you can plant them in rectangular-shaped blocks. This type of gardening layout encourages higher yields with less area to weed. It also eliminates unnecessary walkways. This is one of the common applied vegetable garden layout plans and spacing.
Raised Beds Layout
This layout is raising the soil bed. The raised beds plan is using garden beds with a width of not more than four feet with paths in between. This technique is advantageous because it allows for easy maintenance. It also encourages sun exposure and provides enough air circulation. You can also place rocks in the bottom of the raised beds for additional drainage spaces.
Plants Spacing Requirements
Space is important to consider when planting vegetables. This is to give the plants the necessary nutrients they need. When you plant crops close to each other, one can get nutrients and depriving the other. Giving space between plants is providing them enough room to grow. So, as a gardener, you have to know vegetable garden layout plans and spacing requirements.
Observance of space between plants provides you advantages. It helps reduce competition on the nutrients each plant need, including sunlight. It promotes water conservation because it keeps the soil around the plant shaded.
Estimate the space of each plant, enough allowance to let spread their leave. When developing seedlings, plants can be grown close to each other. And as they grow, space requirement also increases. The older the plant, the more space they need. Check the seed package when buying. Suggested spaces are usually provided, and it varies per pants. Learn more about vegetable gardens.
Conclusion
Vegetable planting nowadays are highly encouraged. This is because most farms spray harsh pesticides to their crop to achieve high harvest and sell in the market. When you have your vegetable garden, you know the vegetable you serve on the table are fresh and safe. So, start gardening and observe proper vegetable garden layout plans and spacing for healthy plant growth.
You can start gardening in a pot, or you can do vertical gardening. If you are in an urban area, you can use your terrace or reserve a space in your house ideal for gardening. Most people apply urban gardening for the desire to eat fresh fruits. Space should not be a problem when you want to start planting.