Garden planning used to be something that overwhelmed me. I’m a thinker. A planner. Color-coder. Notetaker. Excel enthusiast. So why was garden planning tripping me up? There are so many facets of planning *the perfect* garden - companion planting, seasonal planting, succession planting, varieties, seed types. The influx of information was paralyzing.
So, I stripped it way back.
I focused on one thing at a time. Gathered information. Thought through each step. Then I moved on. By the end I had a 3-season garden plan that produced our most prolific, most low-maintenance, most beautiful garden yet.
If you’ve been around for a while you may remember that I shared this simple process last year too. I continue to use it and teach this 7-step process for planning a garden layout and planting calendar because it works.
Download the PDF for free here.
What do you want to grow? Reference your existing seed collection & browse seed catalogs for inspiration.
what will grow well in your climate? reference your frost dates and length of your growing season
what challenges have you had in the past? choose varieties that will help overcome those challenges
what do you like to eat? it’s fun to add some quirky varieties and crops but stay grounded in what you and your family like to eat
Sketch your garden
Plan main crops
crops that take up the most space
crops that grow for the longest amount of time
crops that you place a higher value on, things you love
Add companions
fill in the remaining spaces with companions
what crops complement each other physically (tall & short, vining and tall)?
what crops taste good together?
pair quick growing crops with slow growing crops
use universal companions like perennial herbs to act as ground cover
Plan successions
think about your garden as three distinct season - spring/early summer, summer, and fall
use varieties to stagger harvests by choosing varieties that mature at different lengths
adopt an “always be sowing” mentality for crops like lettuce, carrots, beets, and radishes
Inventory your seeds & place your seed order
Want even more instruction on this process? Upgrade your subscription to paid for access to the video workshop, or purchase the workshop directly.