Planning a Vegetable Garden in Maine
Planning a vegetable garden in the north is pretty easy whether you’re a native or new to the area. To help make planning your garden easier, I’ve come up with a list of questions to answer. You’re answers will help you decide what and how many vegetables to grow.
Planting Realistically
1. Why are you planting a vegetable garden?
2. How many people are in your household?
3. What are you going to do with your vegetables? (Preserving, eat fresh, both)
4. Which vegetables does your household eat?
5. How much space do you have for your garden?
6. How much time do you have to work in the garden?
It’s important to answer the above questions realistically. If you don’t have a lot of space, let’s say an apartment balcony, or you can only dedicate a few hours a week spent working in the garden, then those factors will go into planning your northern vegetable garden.
1. Why are you planting a vegetable garden? Is gardening a hobby of yours, something new you want to try, or a necessity to feed your family? Your answer will help determine how large a garden you’ll plant and how much time you’ll be spending in it.
2. How many people are in your household? This answer factors into how much of which vegetables to plant. If you’re going to provide veggies for your family year round, knowing how much to plant is of up most importance.
3. What are you going to do with your vegetables? (Preserving, eat fresh, both) Do you want to be able to make a couple of fresh salads during the summer or enough stewed tomatoes for the entire year? Decide how much of which vegetable you’re going to need.
4. Which vegetables does your household eat? Don’t waste your time planting vegetables no one in your household is going to eat. What types of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables do you buy most often? Plan on planting more of those.
5. How much space do you have for your garden? If you have limited space, choose vegetable varieties wisely. Grow compact plants and bush varieties to save on space. Mix and match veggies in pots and along trellises.
6. How much time do you have to work in the garden? This is where you really need to get realistic. Growing a large and productive garden takes time and work. Factor in work, family, and summer activities, then decide how much time you have to spend planting, weeding, harvesting etc. The larger the garden, the more time you’ll need to dedicate.
Now that you have answers to these questions you know how much time you are willing to put into growing a vegetable garden. If you don’t have a lot of time or space for gardening, start small and grow a few of your favorites. After the growing season re-access and determine whether you can upscale or downscale your garden or leave it the way it is.
How do you plan on enjoying your garden fresh vegetables?
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