So you decided this is the year you’re going to start a garden, AMAZING! Before you start throwing seeds all around, you need to take a step back and start planning. The most important step in starting a garden is the planning phase. There is a lot to think about when you’re starting out,

Where in my yard will the garden be?

What am I going to plant?

How much space do I need?

How much sun does this spot get?

Is water easily accessible?

Will I need to add any barriers to keep animals out?

Am I going to grow things in-ground or will I need to build raised garden beds?

The best way to start planning your garden is to observe and learn from your space. Start taking notes. Which sides of the house get the most sun or shade, where is there easy access to water, are there any slopes or hills. Just get to know your space.

Finding the perfect location

Now to get to the actual planning. Time to pick a spot for your garden. A few rules of thumb when selecting a spot for your garden

• Try to find a space that gets 8+ hours of direct sun. 
• Make sure the spot is convenient for you to get to and also for you to get water to
• Try to not place it in an area that easily floods, unless you want to add in some berms and swales!

And something else to remember is that you don’t need a ton of space for a garden! There are so many creative options for growing veggies. Our first year gardening in Texas we grew only out of fabric pots since we didn’t have space for raised beds. And now we still incorporate a vertical tower garden in our garden to save space. 

In ground or raised beds or something else entirely?

Now that you’ve picked a spot in your yard, time to decide if you’re going to grow in-ground, in raised beds, or in something else entirely. And once again this will be completely dependent on you and your space. 

In-ground beds are amazing. There is less up front cost since you don’t need to build anything extra. You get to add nutrients to the land through the plants you grow. But the downfall is if you are starting with less than ideal soil you might have a harder time getting started as you’ll need to work on your soil health first. 

Which is why most first time gardeners stick to raised beds. The up front cost is usually pricier since you’re needing to buy the raised beds plus all the soil and compost to fill the beds. But on the plus side you will be starting with healthy soil.

Other options like I mentioned above, tower gardens are fantastic options if you’re short on growing space. Or just simply growing in pots. I personally love fabric pots since they’re so light and easy to move around, even once you have soil in them. 

Now, what to grow?

Now that you have pick your space and how you will grow, now it’s time to figure out what to grow! A good first step is going to be to find out what growing zone you’re in. Go to the USDA website, type in your zip code, and it will tell you what zone you’re in. Here in Central Texas we are in zone 8b. Knowing your zone will help you know what will thrive in your area. 

Learn your first and last frost dates. This is important to know so you can plan when to start seeds. You can figure out your frost dates using the Old Farmers Almanac. 

Now that you’ve done the planning, it’s time to get to planting! Happy gardening! 🙂