“It’s best if you can view the garden from a window. When the garden is easy to see and reach, you are more apt to notice what needs to be tended and to take full advantage of the harvest,” she suggests. Vanheems adds that it’s also worth noting where the shadows fall on a sunny day and during various seasons to accurately judge the amount of sunshine receiving. Wise to size Once you’ve determined where your garden will grow, draw up a plan or create a spreadsheet of the ideal size. Ocone recommends plotting it on graph paper with a grid of 1/4-inch squares, each representing one foot. She also suggests outlining the beds in pencil, then filling in the plant names. Ocone adds that a 20-by-20- foot garden gives you room to grow a wide range of crops while a 12-by-16-foot plot is sufficient for a garden sampler with a variety of greens, some herbs, a few tomatoes and peppers, beans, cucumbers
compost on site with such items as coffee grounds and eggshells. And when it comes to bugs and pests, Vanheems recommends including plenty of nectar-rich flowers in vegetable gardens “to attract both pollinators and pest predators like hoverflies,” she says. Companion planting, which works by pairing plants together that help each other, is another
method to deter pests. For example, carrots are helpful for leeks, while lettuce can protect radishes from earth flies, and radishes can deter cucumber beetles. Aromatic herbs such as basil, sage, rosemary and mint are also effective in keeping pests away including mosquitos. A community of gardening If space is a factor, consider a community garden. These gardens share green spaces where individuals or groups meet to grow
“It’s best if you can view the garden from a window. When the garden is easy to see and reach, you are more apt to notice what needs to be tended.” Lynn Ocone
Author, “Planning a Vegetable Garden”
fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants. They also promote community interaction, healthy living and sustainable practices. The popularity of community gardens resulted from Victory Gardens planted across the U.S. during World Wars I and II. During the first war in 1917, the National War Garden Commission promoted home gardening to free up crops to feed soldiers fighting overseas. They inspired students—calling them “soldiers of the soil”—to do their part in the war and help plant Liberty Gardens. “When it started to look like the U.S. and its allies would win the war, the name of the gardens was changed to Victory Gardens,” as stated on Almanac.com. Victory Gardens led to larger productions of locally grown produce. This idea was eventually introduced in urban areas where residents could rent community garden plots annually. In California alone, it states that there are dozens of community gardens spanning San Francisco to Los Angeles. According to California.com “These gardens reduce the carbon footprint, support better health, and unite neighbors.”
and even edible flowers. “I always include flowers in my garden because they’re beautiful. They’re also a joy to cut and bring indoors,” she says. The real dirt When it comes to dirt, Vanheems cautions to not dismiss soil conditions. The ideal garden location has loose soil that drains well. “Your garden needs to be somewhere that doesn’t get waterlogged in wet weather or over the winter. If your garden soil tends to remain wet, raised beds are useful. By raising the planting area to above the level of the surrounding soil, water can drain away more easily,” he writes. If your soil isn’t perfect, you can improve it over time by adding organic matter such as compost. In January 2022, Senate Bill 1383 went into effect in California requiring the recycling of food scraps and other leftovers. For homeowners with yards, they can
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