In the beginning.

Before we can determine what we are going to grow we need to figure out how much space there is to work with and what gardening style we are going to try and use. This past season I followed the basic method of just planting things in rows. There are a few other types, although I am not totally sure and what their proper titles are.

One method, called Square Foot Gardening, involves planting everything close together, usually in a raised bed of some kind. In a traditional garden you may have to till the ground to loosen up the soil then you plant everything in even rows. With square foot gardening you typically try to avoiding walking in the garden area. The thought here is that you don't compact the soil; this way it is easier to work with. The other purpose of this is to not press oxygen out of the soil by stepping on it. This also helps retain various microbes and other scientific sounding things that can help your garden.

There is another method whose name escapes me. It is essentially the same idea as square foot gardening where everything is close together, but can be done in a traditional garden setting as opposed to requiring a raised bed. With this method you plant everything close together. This time the point is to block out weeds and reduce the amount of water and other resources needed.

Obviously all these methods can be combined in different sorts of ways, and these examples are certainly not all there are. The important thing to remember is that if you are going to grow things close together make sure you pair up your plants well. This is called "companion planting." Regardless of the style garden you choose, looking into what grows well together can greatly benefit you. Certain plants do better if grown next to others. My Uncle Bob taught me that growing a couple Marigolds in the garden will naturally repel pests.

Once you determine the style garden you want you will have a better understanding of how much space you will have to work with. Even if you have no space for an in-ground/raised garden there a quite a few things you can grow in containers. I once saw an amazing lettuce garden that was grown in Rubbermaid bins (I'll see if I can get a picture one day). Tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, garlic, strawberries, and herbs are some examples of plants that do very well in containers. Just make sure you have plenty of room for the roots to grow down.

Personally I have tried a few approaches. My garden by is 8'x8' and I have a few large pots I use. As you can see in the previously posted pictures, I used the traditional row method last time. That garden was in the summer. In the fall I attempted to create a grid in the garden, and plant a different herb in each of the squares. Unfortunately I guess I waited too long in properly storing the seeds because almost none of them germinated. I now store my seeds in a plastic Tupperware in my freezer. The trick is to keep the as cold and dry as possible. When it's time to plant I take the out and let them reach room temperature before doing anything with them.

Ultimately all this is much easier than it sounds. Just throw some seeds in dirt and they will grow. All these other details really just help maximize your harvest and efficiency. Whenever you buy seeds, read all the instructions on the back. This will let you know how deep to plant the seed, when to plant it, and how much room each plant requires. As always if you have any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them or help you find the answer.