As you start planting vegetable gardens it's important to know how the garden will be laid out. The layout of your own garden will depend on what vegetable you want to grow, the planting space and if you would like to opt for companion planting. Here are some helpful tips on how to layout your own garden and start planting vegetables.

Sit Down and Plan

Before choosing a layout you need to decide on what type of vegetable you would like to grow and where you would like to plant them. Here are other factors you need to consider for your garden layout:

- Garden Space - Amount of Light in the Space - Drainage System - Soil Amendments - Type of Vegetable - Additional Space (if needed)

You should also think about whether you want to grow one type of vegetable like lettuce and tomatoes or if you want one type of vegetable with different kinds. Researching about the amount of light a certain vegetable needs and the amount of space that each need to be planted are both helpful facts to find out.

Make a list of vegetables you want to plant and find out the plant requirements of each and compare it with the garden space you have. This should give you an idea of where you want to plant certain vegetables in your space.

Choose your Garden Layout

There are three basic vegetable garden layouts and they are: rows, beds and "potager" style.

The most popular rows style of layout requires planting seeds in a row which could either mean planting one type of seed in a row or different seeds in a row.

The bed type of layout is similar the rows style but in a smaller level. This layout allows access to the plant beds from the exterior of the garden or as you walk through the garden path instead of coming from inside of the plant bed. This is particularly convenient to avoid stepping on the beds which tends to pack in the soil and makes it difficult to dig and aerate in the spring or fall. Plant beds are great ways to maximize a garden space and you can even use raised beds for easy gardening.

The most decorative style of layout is the "potager" which means kitchen garden in French. This layout is described as geometric which allows you to layout your garden in circles or arrange plants by color or even food type.

Consider Companion Planting

The idea behind companion planting involves planting different kinds of plants together so that they help each other grow. A perfect example of this is planting beans, corn and squash together which were commonly done by Native Americans. While the corn gives the beans a place to climb, the beans gives its three companions nutrients in the soil and the squash serves as a shade to the roots of the plants beside it. This not only prevents weeds from growing, it also saves up on water.

Other great plants for companion planting are onions, which scares slugs and aphids away, tomatoes, which grow well with carrots and basil, which improves the taste of tomatoes. Another example is horseradish and potatoes which when planted together give your potatoes protection from disease.

In planting vegetable gardens, this concept is certainly worth considering and if you want to get more information about it, you can do some research online or in your local library.

The environmental requirements for growing vegetables are quite simple. The best vegetable gardens are grown in sunny locations where the soil is moist and nutritious.

In order to maximize the productivity of your garden plot you should first consider which vegetables your family enjoys most. It is senseless to waste valuable garden space on vegetables that no one is going to eat. Plan the planting order of your vegetable garden.

Start with a sketch showing approximately where you want to locate each vegetable crop.Increase your gardens' production potential by planting cool-crop vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage early in the spring. Use these early vegetables when they are mature and then re-plant the same spot with warm-weather, short-season crops such as lettuce and radish. Leave only enough space for development between low-growing vegetables such as radish, lettuce, and onion. Space can also be conserved by growing trailing vegetables such as cucumbers on trellises or other supports. Plant newly developed, dwarf vegetable varieties that require less space to grow than their larger, traditional counterparts. If ground space for a garden plot is not available vegetables can be grown in containers. Vegetables can also be effectively grown in combination with annuals. Be sure to organize the garden so that tall growing vegetables do not shade low growing vegetables.

Planting Vegetables

Soil Preparation

Spade or rototill the garden soil deeply to break the soil into small clods. Add 454g. (1 lb) of granular all purpose fertilizer per 30sq. m. (37.5 sq. yd.) and turn the soil again. Rake the soil smooth and your garden is ready for planting. Improve the texture of heavy, clay-loam soils with additions of peat moss, compost, vermiculite, perlite, or sand. Do not work garden soil when it is wet.

Pre-Planting Care

Due to the short length of our growing season many vegetables are available prescription medicine as bedding-out plants. Vegetable bedding-out plants that can not be planted the same day they are purchased should be watered and stored in a shady location to prevent excessive wilting.

Planting Vegetables from Seed or Bedding-out Plants

Sow vegetable seeds in moist soil, just dry enough to be workable. Vegetable seeds are generally sown three times as deep as their diameter. Cover the seeds with fine soil, compost, vermiculite, or sand. Gently remove vegetable bedding-out plants from their packs or flats. Plant them in moist soil deep enough to bury the root ball and a portion of the lower stem. Plant vegetables started in peat pots or expandable peat pellets in the same way. In these cases also bury the peat pot or pellet. When planting vegetable bedding-out plants be sure to leave adequate room for development.

Watering

After sowing your vegetable seeds keep the garden soil consistently moist until the vegetable seedlings are established. Water freshly planted vegetable bedding-out plants thoroughly to give them a good start; use a starter fertilizer to establish a healthy root system. Thereafter, water your garden whenever the top 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) of soil dries out. It is best to water early in the day. Keep plant foliage as dry as possible by watering at the soil level. Water droplets that remain on plant foliage overnight encourage the development of plant diseases. Do not rely on rain to water your vegetable garden sufficiently. It is important to observe the condition of your garden often to ensure continued growth and productivity.

Post-Planting Care

Keep your garden healthy by removing weeds as soon as they appear. Weeding is easier when garden soil is moistened before you weed. This makes the soil looser and more workable. Remove the weeds between the rows by scraping a flat-bladed hoe over the top few centimeters of soil. Pull weeds from within the rows out by hand. This reduces the chance of disturbing vegetable roots and prevents weeds from competing with them.