Other vegetables such as lettuce, corn, carrots, and herbs are worked in where there is room, but I try not to plant them in the same spots two years in a row. The plants in each family are grouped together and planted in the same beds, so I can easily move them to a different bed the following year. Cucurbit Family: cucumbers, gourds, melons, pumpkin, and squash.Brassica Family: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, spinach, and turnip.Solanaceae Family: eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatillo and tomatoes.Allium Family: chive, garlic, leeks, onions, and shallots.In my garden, I focus on five vegetable plant families for rotation planning purposes: Planting different crop families from year to year helps to avoid depleting the soil and prevents crop specific pests and diseases from building up from one season to the next. Vegetables that are in the same family use similar nutrients and are vulnerable to the same pests and diseases. It is beneficial to rotate plant families from one garden bed to another each growing season. Follow the recommended plant spacing specified on the seed packages. Overcrowded plants will actually produce less and become more susceptible to pests and diseases. Plants that are too close together will compete for nutrients, moisture, and airflow. Each plant requires a certain amount of space to grow healthy and produce an abundant harvest. Plant Spacingĭon’t be tempted to overcrowd your garden.

Things to consider when planning the garden bedsīefore sowing a single seed, it is helpful to sketch a map of the garden so you know how many seedlings you will need, where they will be planted, and how you can keep each bed producing all through the growing season. Thoughts of warmer days and fresh garden harvests encourage me to the next step in planning a vegetable garden: Mapping the Garden Beds.Īfter organizing your seed box, paging through the catalogs thinking about what to grow, and making a seed wish list, the following step is to figure out how everything will fit into the garden. After enduring snowstorms and cold temperatures for months, I begin wondering whether spring will ever come at all. Late winter is the perfect time to plan your vegetable garden.

Mapping your vegetable garden before planting helps you see how many seedlings you need, where they will be planted, and how you can keep each bed producing all through the growing season.

Zone 5 vegetable garden layout