Plan and Build Your Vegetable Garden

The first step in building your vegetable garden is to create your plan. In your plan you need to consider the following things:

The Planning Stage of Your Vegetable Garden

SOIL TYPE: clay soils can create problems and need organic material, lime and fertilisers added. Sandy loam soils are the best type as the vegetables love them and they are easy to cultivate. You need a soil depth of about 200-300mm of top soil. Spend time filling it up with good compost and horse / cow manure mixture.

SLOPE & ASPECT: level land is better than sloping ground. Water and nutrients leak away on slopes. Try to avoid very low patches. On sloping ground run vegetable rows across slope. On level areas run rows in a North to South direction.

SHELTER: My organic garden spot is great for sun but awful for wind. It was at my mum’s suggestion we build a wall for the vegetables. The ones closest to the wall took over the rest of the garden. The difference was amazing. Cold and wind delay and stunt growth and maturity and may cause excess water loss. Plan vegetable gardens near fences, hedges or build your own windbreak like I did. Be careful of using shelter from trees and shrubs which will rob your vegetables of their water.

ACCESSIBILITY & WATER SUPPLY: should be close enough to the kitchen so you can duck outside to your ‘outdoor pantry’! It is also good to have it close to the tool shed and your water supply too.

SIZE: A good size vegetable patch for your own family would be an area 12 meters by 9 metres if you sow 2 crops in most beds each year. A smaller herb garden can be grown closer to the house if necessary. A smaller garden is easier to care for and is better than having a large neglected garden. If you are limited for space don’t choose crops such as pumpkins or peas as they tend to take over everything…check this out!

CHOICE OF VEGETABLES: Find out which are the best vegetables to grow and where to place them in the garden. It’s always best to choose produce that are the favourites of your family!

The Building Stage of Your Vegetable Garden

I’m all for building a no dig vegetable garden. They are so much easier to create in my opinion and I really enjoy the process of making them!

Gather your supplies:

sleepers or some sort of material to use for your border. Tin, bricks and other materials work just as well and it’s cheaper if you can use something you already have around your property
Wire mesh 2 – 3 metres long
Long wooden stakes or bamboo poles about 2 metres in length
A form of watering system, hose, sprinklers, drippers
A big stack of old newspapers
A bale or two of straw (depending on how many garden beds you are making)
Top soil growing mix
Manure. I used 3 large wheelbarrow loads per garden bed

Method:

1. Select an area that has full sun all day

2. Mark out your garden beds. I usually build mine approx 2 meters by 1 meter

3. Build edges and secure them into place.

4. If garden beds are surrounded by grass, spray weedkiller all around the edges

5. Lay newspaper a few millimetres thick inside each garden bed making sure no grass can be seen and paper comes up the inside of each garden bed wall a little.

6. Soak newspaper with water then pile in manure, then top soil and pea straw on top. The depth of soil and manure should be 200 – 300 mm deep.

7. Erect wooden stakes in a tepee like style for where you would like to grow beans, peas or tomatoes

8. Plant your seedlings according to the Gardening Tips for Each Season for your area.

9. I used the wire mesh along one side of a garden bed if I was growing vine type vegetables like peas or beans

Your vegetable garden should now look fantastic and soon you will be enjoying some yummy fresh food on your kitchen table!

It's time to move on to step 2 and Organize Your Garden Supplies.

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