How to Start a Vegetable Plot

Starting a vegetable plot for the first time can be rather daunting at first. For the less experienced gardener this can raise a number of questions; how do you prepare the plot? What do you grow? When do you harvest? How much do I grow of each crop?

The place to start is with planning your plot and thinking about what you want to grow. Deciding on this is a matter of first thinking about what you actually eat and how often. If you only eat celeriac once in a blue moon, and this is unlikely to change, then there is no point in growing it.

Another thing to think about is cost versus taste. For example, you are likely to save little, if anything, growing ordinary onions from sets as mature onions are generally very cheap to buy from your local supermarket, and the difference in taste is usually fairly minimal. Personally, if I grow onions, I prefer to grow red onions, white onions, or shallots. Another example is potatoes, again you will save little if anything growing from seed potatoes, but you have a far greater range of potatoes available and the difference in taste is huge. In contrast, courgettes (or zucchinis if you prefer) and pumpkins are very cheap to grow, and will produce a sizable crop.

Once you chosen your crops, you need to prepare your plot. Your new vegetable plot needs to be in a reasonably sunny spot, although a certain amount of shelter from the wind is beneficial. Your first task is to dig over the plot, preferably incorporating some manure, and ensuring that your plot is reasonably weed free. You particularly need to dig up any persistent perennial weeds (such as dock) otherwise you will be troubled by these throughout the growing season. Where you intend to sow seeds directly into the soil you will need to work the soil to a fine "tilth", i.e. to the consistency of breadcrumbs. This is time consuming and hard work, but you stand a greater chance of success if you put enough work in at the start. You will save yourself a certain amount of time if you use a rotavator, although it is still hard work.

You will then need to think about where you intend to plant your crops. It is better to group similar types of crops together (for example leeks, onions and garlic are all in the same family), simply because this will make it easier for you the following year when you will need to rotate your crops. Rotating crops is important to ensure that the same types of crop are not grown in the same place in successive years so as to avoid your crops having viruses and diseases.

Also, when thinking about where to plant your crops you will need to build in walkways so you can get to the plants and make sure you leave enough space between rows so there is sufficient space for the plants to grow. Some your plants will need to be started in the greenhouse, so you will need to bear this in mind.

Putting in this preparatory work will greatly increase your chance of success in growing vegetables. Starting a vegetable plot can be a little daunting at first, but the satisfaction of harvesting your first crops is immeasurable and certainly makes the effort worthwhile.

You can follow the author's attempts at living a more self-sufficient lifestyle and pick up more tips for growing your own vegetables and fruit and his blog, A Smallholder's Diary.