For the highest yield, though, stagger the plants in triangles. Symmetry and balance are key elements in designing a kitchen garden with a formal layout, but they also work to add drama and focus to an informal look. Draw the design on paper first to get the layout clear in your mind. There are no rules and you can mix fruit, herbs, vegetable and flowers together, in rows or in blocks. The next one should be for salad and herbs, and the final one a mix such as courgettes, sweetcorn and leafy greens like chard and spinach.’Įvery plot is different, so work out the best design for your space and needs. Use the second for crops like beans and peas (known as legumes). ‘Use the first one for roots, subdivided between new potatoes, beetroot and carrots. ‘The four beds are then allocated to different plant groups,’ explains plant expert Sarah Raven. Divide into four areas, ideally with paths, with a small, round central bed if you have the space. This formal style is known as a ‘potager’. If you want a traditional vegetable plot, aim for a neat and structured layout with a system of raised beds and paved paths. Plan for small plants like radishes and lettuces to be ready as soon as 45 days from planting and larger plants to take as much as 100 days before you can harvest.
Kitchen garden planner how to#
'Knowing the predicted weather for each month, and the plants that prefer that particular amount of heat and sunshine, you can start to chart out how to plan a kitchen garden and what you’ll plant and harvest each month in the garden,' says Nicole. Make a plan for each month in the garden.So for how to plan a kitchen garden, match the plants you want to grow with the months when the weather will suit them best,' explains Nicole. Match plants to the temperature and weather: 'Each plant in the kitchen garden, from lettuce and potatoes to carrots or tomatoes, has a particular type of temperature and sunlight they prefer to grow their best.You can easily double the growing space in a window box by hanging pots from it. Even if space is limited, with some creative thinking you can see many ways of planning a kitchen garden. Planters and shelves can be attached to a wall, and pots can be arranged on ladders or steps.Space limitations can lead to creativity,' says horticulturalist Aaron Bertelsen.
Work out how much space you have – take some time to consider what would suit your needs and where you may have space for beds or containers when considering how to plan a kitchen garden.'My years in the kitchen garden keep convincing me that every minute spent planning the garden really does save, not just 10 minutes of execution, but maybe 10 weeks of frustration,' Nicole adds.