Planning the veg plot, what method do you use?

GemmaJF

With a lot of new veg growers on the forum, just wondered what people do when planning the veg plot as it might help others.

I use a CAD program, which I have for other purposes.

I lay out a box for the bed, 5ft by 20 ft is my preferred bed size to fit the plot and give me enough beds for rotation.

I end up being able to account for every individual potato and plant, and how many rows I can fit in.

I take the recommended spacing and row width of each vegetable, make that into a box and fit them to the beds.

Be interested in what others do.

herbaceous

I stand in the garden with a cup of tea and try and remember where I put stuff last year so I can remember not to do the same. Since I only grow what I like to eat ( plus one new item) its the same stuff every year.

Then, with the next cup of tea, I do a mental jigsaw to figure out how I am ever going to fit everything in and where the heck can I put the squash.

It does result in some unexpected pleasures, I was resiting the rhubarb I had split and found at least two meals worth of potatoes! Felt like I'd won something.

Obelixx

Buy plug plants, grow on, plant out.  Sow weeds, grow on, plant out.   Try and rotate but always improve the soil in between crops with own garden compost and/or manure. 

Get OH to clear or make a new raised bed when I need more space.  Refuse to grow potatoes ever again! 

Busy-Lizzie

I like @herbaceous method!
I draw a plan on paper each year. I'm not growing potatoes again either, they take up room and we don't eat many. I grow what we like, runner beans, broad beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, mangetout peas, red onions, sweet peppers, courgettes, leeks, lettuces.

Then I write on the back of the plan the dates of seed sowing, harvesting, and if the results were good.

Dovefromabove

herbaceous said:

I stand in the garden with a cup of tea and try and remember where I put stuff last year so I can remember not to do the same. Since I only grow what I like to eat ( plus one new item) its the same stuff every year.

Then, with the next cup of tea, I do a mental jigsaw to figure out how I am ever going to fit everything in and where the heck can I put the squash.

That is almost exactly the method I use @herbaceous,  except I drink coffee, not tea ☕️ 

Way back in the mists of time I had a notebook and graph paper ... and a much bigger veg patch. 

Nollie

My plan is very simple, I have a single-page word document with six text boxes to represent my six raised beds:

1. Veg that grow well together and like the same conditions are listed in the same box/bed with an additional list of catch crops to slot in either before, after or so etimes in between the main crop, as appropriate, plus suitable companion plants.

2. Light and heavy feeders are in alternate beds, so that the light feeder (e.g. lettuce and onions) then move on the following year to occupy a bed previously manured and used by a heavy feeder (e.g. sweetcorn and courgettes) and the heavy feeders move on to a (freshly manured) bed previously occupied by a light feeder. So three beds get manure each year.

3. Each year, at the end of the season, I move the first box at the top of the page to the bottom, so the next box moves up to first place, then change the date at the top, so that’s the rotation plan for the next season. 

In terms of spacing, each 1.2x3.2m bed has four nails hammered into the ends of the beds and four strings 30cm apart are stretched from front to back, leaving a 15cm border each side. I plant 4 rows of most things along the 4 string lines at appropriate spacing. Larger crops like potatoes and sweetcorn are planted in rows of three, in-between the string lines. Even larger crops like courgettes are also planted in rows of three, but staggered, to give them the most space. I did have a diagram of this somewhere but can’t find it.

Obelixx

Cos our veg patch is new I subscribed to Sutton's Veg Planner, drew out the new plot to scale and then added the PT and all my new beds for OH to build.  Fine so far except that the SVP can't put my plot on one page - tho the regular newsletters are good - and OH didn't follow my plans for bed dimensions and spacings.

Given up drawing it all on paper till we can go and buy more wood for the raised beds and the rusty stuff to make the fruit cage and then I will supervise OH rather than leave him to it.    Plans have changed to include a chicken run and a wee pond and they'll have to be done right.

We have a large bed with permanent plants like globe artichokes, red and blackcurrants, a fig, strawberries and some raspberries OH thought he could contain in a wooden raised bed  kit laid on the ground.  Not!

I grow broad beans as I only ever see frozen ones here but not green beans as they need too much water in the warm spells and I loathe runners.   One bed is being given over to dahlias for cut flowers - recent development so fingers crossed.   Then there are Savoy, pointy and red cabbages and curly kale plugs coming on nicely as well as garlic and onions.   I have sown cavolo nero and PSB recently as well as leeks and spring onions cos the latter are so hard to find here.    

I have bought and also sown tomatoes to grow in the PT and OH went to buy me more potting compost this morning and brought back 2 yellow courgettes and 2 cucumbers.  I had no seeds for those as I usually buy just a couple of plants at a local fair in late March/early April.

Next things to sow are leafy herbs and salad leaves and then some chilies.  Plus flowers and shrubs and such.   If push comes to shove I have some bed frames bought in a junk shop and they'll make fine raised beds for planting stuff.

herbaceous

Wow @Nollie that is super organised!

I used to have a notebook @Dovefromabove but between Autumn and Spring it generally got lost. I used to get annoyed but I have mellowed with age and developed my current stratagem which avoids frustration and occasionally gives me a surprise!  I can imagine coffee would work equally as well, maybe better?
Now I'm tempted 

mairead542

Hi I'm second year in my veg plot and trying to remember what I did last year and rotate plus do more companion planting.  My beds are 1m wide, so quite thin and I was hoping to plant spinach and lettuce amongst the main crop potatoes. However I'm struggling to figure out how to manage the spinach when the potatoes get earthed up. Any suggestions? 

Dovefromabove

I don’t think there’ll be room for spinach between main crop spuds. 

NewBoy2

1. What do you want to eat
2. How much do you want to eat
3. When do you want to eat it
4. Over what period.
5. What area will one particular veg take up
6.How long will that bit of the plot be occupied by one veg

Get an A4 pad and create bits of paper/ cardboard to the size of the veg you will grow.
Place them on the plan and then move them about.

Keep a daily separate note book of what you do and when and refer to it at Christmas and February to plan.

What gets Measured gets Done.

Dont forget to breathe and enjoy what ever you do.

If someone gives you advice make sure they  are successful growers !!