Four plot veggie garden...Five star performances

Four plot veggie garden...Five star performances It must be a gardener thing. We get so caught up in what interesting varieties of plants we want to try and end up with so many impulse buys of tiny seedlings or miscellaneous packets of seeds that our gardens become a mess of patchy rows, improvised temporary raised beds and weeds. Let's step back a moment and ponder real goals for our gardens. Have we ever even thought as far as a “goal”? I think most of us could generally agree that we want healthy productive vegetable gardens. We also desire to get the most out of our available space. A plan is in order. The first rule regarding this plan is that we should choose quality over quantity regarding variety selection. Pick one or two “new” or interesting vegetables to try and incorporate into your plan and stick to tried and true vegetables and varieties otherwise. Next take into account the soil climate which the chosen vegetables on your list desire. Classify them into four categories. The first category suits plants that desire a rich soil such as corn, peas and squash. The second category should include choices that require moderately rich soil such as beans, tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage. Garden plot three should plan for plants that require modest amount or nitrogen, such as okra, collards and greens. Reserve plot four for root crops, because rich soil will reduce root development of tasty tubers. Now divide your garden area up into 4 plots taking away a 24” path between the sections to be used exclusively for foot traffic. No cheating. Restricting foot traffic to designated paths reduces soil compaction that can inhibit root development. If your garden is large use some stepping stones or the equivalent placed strategically off your paths to allow access to inner regions for harvesting and maintenance. Soil tests can help determine exactly what your soil is lacking, but many average gardeners are successful without soil tests and just use a handful of dirt to determine which basic amendments are necessary. If your handful of dirt can be squeezed into a solid lump it will definitely benefit from some amendments. All garden areas will profit from good drainage and if your soil is heavy with clay or silt incorporating some sand will give your plants a tremendous advantage. Next, chose which square plot you will plant the veggies that desire the richest soil and incorporate generous amounts of compost. Add less compost to plot two, small amounts in plot three and leave section four without anything but amendments for drainage to accommodate the root crops. Next, divide each plot's plan into seasons. Choose one or two crops for each season. For instance, in your richly composted plot, choose peas for spring, corn for summer, and spinach for fall, and depending on your climate, winter. Try hard to restrict yourself to just a few vegetables per plot, per season. Prioritizing may mean that you scratch a few things off your list but in the end your garden will be happier and healthier, maybe those things can go on next years plan, or if you have a long growing season you can do one at the beginning of the season and another at the end of it. This is where exercising a little self control will really pay off. Instead of cramming everything in all at once you can leave some space empty to actually plant a small row every week to extend your harvest just like the books always say, but we never do. Choose one day of the week to be your planting day to keep yourself on schedule. This also has the added benefit of rarely losing all your seed stock to one hail storm or tunneling varmint, usually of the canine variety in my yard. Rotating crops will also cut down on diseases that tend to attack particular vegetables and over-winter happily in the soil. Every year or two rotate your crops, adding compost to the new, richest plot. By focusing on a few tried and true vegetables and varieties for your area and having some organization to their placement in the garden, your harvest will increase and along with it your satisfaction with your gardens performance. Happy gardening!