Vegetable Garden Layout Planning | Bonnie Plants (2024)

Is there anything more satisfying and delicious than growing your own food? From the first tender tips of asparagus in spring to the tasty tang of summer's homegrown tomatoes, a garden filled with beautiful, productive plants provides a terrific sense of accomplishment—and fabulous, fresh meals. In order to grow such an amazing harvest, though, it's important to figure out the best vegetable garden layout for your space and the plants you want to grow. Here's how to do it.

1. Select Your Site

To begin, take stock of your potential growing space. Consider these elements:

Where do you get the most sun? Many vegetables require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day. Note that the south, east, and west sides of your home will get more sun than the north.

Is there a spot near the house? If you lay out your vegetable garden near an entrance way, you'll pass it often. That way, it's more likely that you'll notice when watering is needed or pests invade

Is there already a lot of vegetation around? If there is a large number of shrubs or trees, they will compete with your garden not only for nutrients and moisture in the soil, but also for sunlight. Be sure to steer clear of walnut trees, which produce a toxin that's harmful to vegetable plants.

How far away is the water? Make certain that the space you select for your vegetable garden layout provides easy access to a water source. Do that and you won't have to schlep a hose or heavy watering can all over the yard.

How much space do you need? While having a huge garden may sound like a great idea, it can also be overwhelming if you're a new gardener. It's better to start small, with a few raised beds or containers, then add to your vegetable garden plan each year.

2. List What You Love

Are you a culinary master, hoping to grow a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes for fabulous meals? Do you adore Brussels sprouts but despise collards? Before you purchase any plants, create a list of the vegetables you love, then allocate space in your vegetable garden layout to grow them.

Be sure to include space-saving trellises to support vining veggies like cucumbers and peas, and if perennial plants like asparagus and strawberries top your favorite foods list, consider creating a permanent plot for them to grow.

3. Lay Out Your Garden on Paper

Although it may give you an unwelcome flashback to geometry class, graph paper really is your friend when creating a vegetable garden layout. By putting your garden on paper before you lift a shovel, you'll save time—and avoid potential mistakes.

First, take a photo of your garden area and measure its approximate size. Using a ratio of 1 foot = 1 box on the graph paper, sketch the beds and containers you plan to use, leaving enough space between them to push a wheelbarrow. Limit the width of each vegetable bed to 3 to 4 feet, so that you'll be able to reach across the bed to plant, weed, or harvest without stepping onto the soil and compacting it.

Vegetable Garden Layout Planning | Bonnie Plants (1)

4. Add Your Plants

Now, add the names of the plants you want to grow to the vegetable garden planner, making sure to leave enough space in between each one. (To find out how much space each plant requires, look for your favorite varieties here.) Crowded plants have to compete for nutrients, sunlight, and water, so they're not able to grow as big and strong as they otherwise would.

As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.

Also, if this isn't your first garden, think about where you planted your veggies last year, then be sure to rotate them to different beds for the coming season to help prevent diseases and avoid plant-hungry pests that overwinter in the soil. (Learn more about crop rotation right here.)

To give yourself the best chance for a big harvest, mix Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Vegetables & Herbs into your beds, use Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix in your containers, and feed your plants regularly with Miracle-Gro® Shake ‘n Feed® Tomato, Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food so you know they're getting all the nutrition they need. (Be sure to follow label directions.)

5. Learn from Your Successes (and Failures)

Use your vegetable garden planner to make notes for next year's garden. What tomato provided the tastiest BLT? What kind of plant proved most challenging to grow? Were there any drawbacks to the space you chose? Even a good vegetable garden layout can get better. Celebrate your delicious garden successes, then go ahead and tweak your layout to grow even more veggies next year.

Vegetable Garden Layout Planning | Bonnie Plants (2024)

FAQs

How do you arrange vegetable garden plants? ›

As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.

What is the best layout for a vegetable garden? ›

Rows Vegetable Garden Layout Plan

The other rule of thumb when using this layout plan is to organize your spacing so that your tallest growing vegetables are planted on the north side of your rows. Follow them with medium height vegetables, and then plant your shortest crop on the south side of the rows.

How do I map my vegetable garden? ›

Map Out Your Plants

Sketch out your plan on paper. Use graph paper and draw to scale, keeping in mind the mature size and habit of each kind of plant. Site larger plants, like corn and tomatoes, where they won't cast shade over shorter plants. Choose compact varieties if you have limited space.

What vegetables to plant together chart? ›

Vegetables and Herbs Companion Planting Chart
PlantGood Together
PotatoBush Bean, Cabbage, Carrot, Corn, Horseradish, Onion, Parsnip, Peas
RadishBeet, Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Cucumber, Lettuce, Parsnip, Peas, Spinach, Squash
SpinachCelery, Corn, Eggplant, Cauliflower
SquashCorn, Onion, Radish
15 more rows

What vegetables should not be planted next to each other? ›

14 Vegetables You Should Never Plant Together—Gardening Experts Explain Why
  • 01 of 14. Beans and Onions. ...
  • 02 of 14. Tomatoes and Potatoes. ...
  • 03 of 14. Corn and Tomatoes. ...
  • 04 of 14. Tomatoes and Brassicas. ...
  • 05 of 14. Cucumber and Squash. ...
  • 06 of 14. Lettuce and Celery. ...
  • 07 of 14. Fennel and Tomatoes. ...
  • 08 of 14. Peppers and Cabbage.
Jan 16, 2024

How do you stagger vegetable planting? ›

If you prefer to plant smaller amounts of the same vegetable varieties, stagger plantings seven to 14 days apart to spread the harvest out. As each set of plants finish production, a new set will start producing. This works well for crops such as cabbage, lettuce, onions, radishes and spinach.

What is the most efficient garden layout? ›

Square foot gardening is an efficient and space-saving technique that involves dividing your garden into small, manageable squares. Each square is typically one foot by one foot and is planted with a specific number of plants depending on their size.

Can tomatoes and cucumbers be planted together? ›

Tomatoes and cucumbers can be grown together successfully, and there are actually some benefits to planting them together. Both plants have similar growing needs when it comes to sunlight, soil conditions, and watering. And if space is at a premium, interplanting the two will allow you to get more out of your garden.

What can tomatoes not be planted with? ›

Companion Plants To Avoid Growing Near Tomatoes
  • Cabbage. Planting a member of the brassica family, like cabbage, can stunt the growth of your tomato plant because they out-compete them for the same nutrients. ...
  • Corn. ...
  • Broccoli. ...
  • Fennel. ...
  • Dill. ...
  • Potatoes. ...
  • Eggplant. ...
  • Walnuts.
May 4, 2024

How should I set up my vegetable garden? ›

Most plants should be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart, so they'll have room to grow and get plenty of sunlight and air circulation. Put your plants in the holes and cover them with soil. Don't bury them any deeper than they were in their containers. Gently press the soil down around them.

How do you space vegetable garden plants? ›

These are the basic, most frequently used spacing's in the square foot garden: The 3-inch spacing accommodates beets, carrots, onions and radishes. The 4-inch spacing is for bush beans and spinach. A 6-inch spacing is needed for Swiss chard, leaf lettuce and parsley.

What order should I plant my vegetable garden? ›

How Should Garden Rows be Oriented? Generally speaking, in the north tall plants such as beans, peas, and corn do best on the north side of the garden. Medium size crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, squash, pumpkins, and broccoli in the center of the garden.

What 3 plants grow well together? ›

The intercropping method of planting corn, beans, and squash together, commonly called The Three Sisters has been studied and described by scholars in anthropology, history, agriculture, and food studies for many years.

What not to plant with cucumbers? ›

Plants in the same family as zucchinis, melons and pumpkins should not be planted directly next to cucumbers. The same applies to Jerusalem artichokes, lovage, sage, radishes, radishes and tomatoes.

What is the best way to set up a vegetable garden? ›

Preparing a Vegetable Garden Site
  1. Choose a sunny spot. Most vegetables do best in full sun, over 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. ...
  2. Avoid low-lying areas. Plant roots need oxygen, and vegetables are particularly sensitive to being submerged. ...
  3. Avoid the perimeter of old houses. ...
  4. Consider convenience.

What is the best way to arrange plants in a garden? ›

Keep the plantain 4 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) from other plants to give it plenty of room to spread. Add 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) of organic mulch around the tree, keeping it 6 inches (15 cm.)

What is the best way to orient a vegetable garden? ›

A north-south orientation is best for low-growing crops, allowing direct sunlight to reach both sides of the bed. For taller crops such as pole beans, peas and tomatoes an east west orientation works best. Leave enough space in between beds to easily maneuver around.

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