No matter if tomatoes, lettuce or beans - if you want to grow vegetables in your garden yourself, you should draw up a cultivation plan in good time.
If it's still bitterly cold outside, then this is the right time to think about growing vegetables for the next gardening season. This is important because only by creating a carefully thought-out growing plan can you get the most out of your garden and have a good harvest.
But the whole thing also has another advantage: Start planning the vegetable beds in good time, so you can already see which seeds you need and can buy them in good time. Once the gardening season starts, one or the other type of vegetable could become scarce.
In this article we would like to explain to you exactly how to create such a cultivation plan for vegetables and what you have to pay attention to. This applies to the vegetable patch on the terrace/balcony as well as to the vegetable patch in the garden.
How to create a grow plan
Step 1 - Divide vegetable patches:
Before you start selecting the types of vegetables, you should first determine the size and location of the individual beds. The easiest way to do this is with a rough sketch on which you draw a floor plan of the garden and then divide the area. It is important when dividing the beds that you remember not to lay them too wide, otherwise you will no longer be able to work them comfortably from all sides. A width of 130 centimeters has proven to be optimal.
You should also divide the individual vegetable beds with garden paths that are between 30 and 50 centimeters wide. Low bed edgings are also very nice and helpful. They visually enhance the vegetable bed and even keep some pests away from the beds. With larger populations of snails, a sturdy snail fence might even be advisable.
Step 2 - Select Vegetables:
So after you have made a classification of the garden, it is time to select the types of vegetables. First of all, think about which types of vegetables you would like to grow and write them down. Includedyou must note that vegetables are always divided into two groups: main crops and pre- and post-crops.
The main crops are types of vegetables that have a long growth phase. In the case of the post- and pre-cultures, vegetable varieties that are ready to harvest very early or very late and only need a short time to grow. Now combine each main crop with a pre- or post-crop to form a crop rotation, which you can then plant at different times in the same bed.
→ Main cultures are e.g.:
Cucumber, Corn, Carrot, Potato
→ Subsequent or pre-cultures are e.g.:
Lambs lettuce, radishes, French beans, kohlrabi, winter leeks, winter leeks, spinach
Step 3 - Combine vegetables correctly:
Once you have decided which types of vegetables you want to grow, there is one more thing you need to consider. Vegetables are also divided into heavy feeders, medium feeders and weak feeders. These three groups all have different nutritional needs. It is also important that you combine heavy feeders with weak feeders or medium feeders with strong or weak feeders. However, you must never mix heavy feeders with other heavy feeders.
If you have now determined the main and pre- and post-cultures, you still have to check whether these can really be planted in one bed. The high, medium and low consumers include e.g.:
→ Heavy Guzzler:
Potatoes, Squash, Sweetcorn, Cabbage, Zucchini
→ Means Eater:
Peppers, tomatoes, runner beans, leeks, cucumbers, endives, chard, radishes, aubergines
→ Weak Eater:
Herbs, peas, lamb's lettuce, onions, radishes, French beans
For all those who find it difficult to combine the types of vegetables, here are two reading tips:
Which vegetables go well together?
Which vegetables don't go well together?
Step 4 - write down sowing dates & buy seeds:
Now that all types of vegetables and also the division of the vegetable beds have been determined, you must make a note of when the individual types of vegetables have to be sown or planted. It is best to note these dates on your sketch as well. So you have all the important information together.
After that, all you have to do is buy the individual vegetable seeds. However, please always only use seeds from quality brands, otherwise you could experience nasty surprises. For example something like thatthe seeds don't even sprout. Of course, you can also use seeds you have grown yourself. Then you should do a germination test beforehand to see whether the seed is still germinable.