Locations with 8-10 hours of direct sunlight each day are ideal for most vegetables. The more sun exposure the better. Watering and Water Sources: The location of your garden or planting containers should be near a clean water source to make watering convenient and easy.
Choose a sunny spot. Most vegetables do best in full sun, over 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If you don't have this much sun, consider sticking with crops that are more likely to tolerate some shade, such as herbs, and greens, like lettuce and spinach.
Vegetables that produce roots grow best in partial sun – that is afternoon sun and morning shade. This includes carrots, parsnip, turnips, beetroot, radishes and potatoes. Vegetables where you eat the stems, buds or leaves generally prefer partial shade – that is morning sun and afternoon shade.
Ultimately, the best garden layout for vegetables, herbs, and fruits is whatever you want it to be, to some degree. The main point is to plant your taller veggies on the northern side of your garden and your shorter veggies on the southern side. That way, everyone gets plenty of sunlight.
South side is ideal. Go to the location, stand where you want the garden and face south. Open your arms into a Y(mca), about a full ninety degree angle. If you have no obstructions to the sun inside your Y (trees, buildings, etc.) while facing south, you should be able to grow veggies there, all kinds.
West or south-facing sites are preferred. Vegetable production declines as sunlight decreases, yet some early season crops such as radish or lettuce may be able to be produced in an area that receives a partial day of shade.
7 - 8 hours of sun
If your yard does not have any direct sun, you cannot grow vegetables, no matter how rich and healthy your soil is.
Rows. The most basic garden plan consists of a design with straight, long rows running north to south orientation. A north to south direction will ensure that the garden gets the best sun exposure and air circulation. A garden that runs east to west tends to get too shaded from the crops growing in the preceding row.
Raised bed sizes can vary greatly, but let's use the example of a 4x8' raised bed. In this bed you could plant two rows of tomatoes, which are each 8' long. If using cages or another wide support system, you can probably fit 6-8 tomato plants in that bed.
Sketch out your plan on paper. Use graph paper and draw to scale, keeping in mind the mature size and habit of each kind of plant. Site larger plants, like corn and tomatoes, where they won't cast shade over shorter plants. Choose compact varieties if you have limited space.
Cucumbers need lots of sun, at least eight hours a day. Morning sun is best because it dries the dew from the leaves which helps prevents mildew. Always rotate where you grow your cucumbers from year to year to avoid soil borne diseases and overwintering insects.
While most of our garden plants need at least 6 hours of full sun to be productive, too much sun, especially when combined with too much heat, can be too much for plants to bear. Problems arise especially when temperatures are over 85 to 90 degrees F.
Answer: Early morning (5:00 to 9:00 am) is the best time to water the garden when using a sprinkler, garden hose, or any other device that wets the plant foliage. When watering is completed, the plant foliage dries quickly. The rapid drying of plant foliage helps guard against the development of fungal diseases.
No matter. Most vegetables grow just as well in containers as in the ground—sometimes better. Decks, patios, driveways, balconies, window boxes and even rooftops are all candidates as veggie-growing sites. All you need is a half-day or more of sunlight and enough effort to keep your pots watered and fertilized.
Devote a prime, sunny spot to growing tomatoes. Tomatoes need at least 6 to 8 hours of sun to bring out their best flavors. You will need to stake, trellis, or cage most tomato plants to keep them off the ground. Decide on a support plan before you set out your plants, then add that support directly after planting.
As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.
Using square foot gardening, you can comfortably grow two cucumber plants per square foot. Another great plant for square foot gardening is the cucumber. A healthy square foot gardening cucumber plant has a yield of approximately 5 pounds, and can also be grown vertically with support from a trellis.
Tomatoes should ideally be grown in a raised bed that's at least 15 to 18 inches deep. Many of my clients in Houston are successfully growing tomatoes in 12-inch deep raised garden beds, but their plants tend to be a little stunted compared to plants in deeper beds.
Stand with your back to your house wall—the reading from here shows the direction the yard faces. South-facing yards get the most sun, north-facing sites the least.
Plant layout ideally involves the planning and integrating the paths of the component parts of a product to achieve the most effective and economic interrelationships between the operating equipment and personnel, the material movement, storage facilities, service functions and auxiliary equipment.