13 Tips From Olle Garden Bed: For Planning A Perfect Backyard Garden

A perfectly planned backyard garden may be interesting, but it is also a difficult task. Whether you like to draw a garden with blueprint details, or rely on labels and fixed memories, there are countless different plant combinations to choose from to delight your senses. When planning all this, the gardener has many tasks in his mind. Although everyone has a different definition of the perfect backyard garden, here are 13 tips that will definitely inspire you to start planning this year's garden. This content also has some reference value for Raised Garden Beds.

Take it easy

Give yourself and the yard time to grow into a space you love and enjoy. Enjoy the fun of deciding which type of garden you want. Plant what you like and want to eat. Don't overextend yourself. Maintaining a large garden plot may require a lot of work and water, especially if you live in a drought-prone area. Start small and build from there. Remember: the perfect backyard garden will not happen overnight, or in a season.

Consider seasons

One of the best ways to plan a garden is to draw it on paper. Plant crops of similar growth length together. Place perennial plants, such as dill, chive and pine flower, in a separate garden or edge, so that they will not interfere with the cultivation of annual crops. Tall or latticed crops provide shade for shorter vegetables when placed on the north side of the garden.

Fast-growing crops may use soil two or three times a year; Draw your garden for each season; Spring, summer and autumn/winter. Take out your old pen and paper, or use the garden planning application.

Succession factory

Continuous planting is one of the best ways to spend time and make sure you don't know what to do when harvesting. The key is not to sow all the seeds at once. For fast-growing crops, such as radish, spinach and lettuce, you can plant them in spring, summer and autumn for multiple harvests. For slow-growing crops, continuous planting includes planting interval of several weeks. In this way, you won't eat 60 zucchini in a week and have to beg your friends to take them from your hands.

Follow the sun

When selecting a garden plot, use the sun to select an area that receives at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight. First, analyze when and where the sun shines. This may change with the seasons, so please clarify the main sunshine areas in spring, summer and autumn. Plant sun-loving plants in sunny plots, and leave more shady areas to shady crops.

Order seeds and start seedling raising

The seed vigor can last for more than two years, so the first thing in the new year is that ordering seeds is not bad. Order seeds before January or February, because depending on the delivery time and the crops you choose, it may be time to start seedling breeding when the seedlings arrive.

Dates may vary from place to place, so please plant according to the seed package and your growing climate. But generally speaking, you can use asparagus, leek and rosemary as seedlings in January or February. Wait until March and April to plant tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins as seedlings.

Select native plants

When selecting plants for your garden, please select the native plants in your area. They need less water because they are compatible with the climate, making them more likely to thrive and provide a bumper harvest than alien species. Better yet, local plants help support local wildlife, which will help your plants by attracting pollination media.

Add diversity

One of the best techniques for planning a perfect backyard garden is to plant various plants and flowers. Bright colors are not only beautiful, but also you will create bull's-eye for bees and butterflies. In addition to vegetables, we also need to plant various herbs, fruits and flowers. Chives, sunflowers and milkweed are excellent choices to help increase the pollination of vegetable crops.

Companion plant

When planning the backyard garden, please consider companion plants. Many herbs, such as lavender, mint and rosemary, can repel pests, making them very suitable for spreading throughout the garden. Some flowers, such as sweet alfalfa, marigold and sunflower, help reduce weeds.

Although many combinations of companion plants are effective, some combinations need to be avoided. Because of cross-pollination and nutrition competition, carrots and dills, beans and onions, tomatoes and potatoes are all bad combinations. Good companion plants for tomatoes include basil, spinach and onions.

Check soil composition

When planning a garden plot, it is important to first understand your current soil composition. Most vegetables like the neutral ph range, between 6 and 7, with fertile soil and good drainage. Sandy soil can't hold water well, while clay usually contains too much water. Adding organic materials to garden soil will help create an ideal balance. It is best practice to detect ph, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels.

Add compost, nutrient-rich soil and nutrients as needed and according to the needs of each plant, and prepare the site accordingly. For example, blueberries grow well in acidic soil. In contrast, asparagus likes slightly alkaline soil, so it is better to plant the two crops on different beds. Organic materials are added in autumn to decompose in spring. Adding dolomite lime to the bed at the end of winter can help neutralize the soil ph and provide important minerals such as calcium and magnesium for the soil.

Plant cover crops

Planting mulch crops such as rye, buckwheat or clover in autumn is very useful for improving soil composition. They also provide food for pollinators, which may be difficult to find in cool months. In spring, you can cultivate organic matter into the soil to provide nutrients for your summer crops.

Crop rotation

Because different plants need different nutrients, rotation improves soil health by preventing nutrient consumption. Rotate once a year and wait for at least three years before planting crops from the same family on the same plot.

For example, if you have multiple garden plots or elevated beds, consider rotating between gourds (cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkins), solanaceae (tomatoes, peppers and potatoes), brassica (broccoli, cabbage and green leafy vegetables), allium (onions, leeks and garlic) and beans (green beans, green peas and chickpeas).

Beans provide excellent nutrients for the soil. If you let them rot in the soil in winter, they will provide nitrogen rich soil for your heavy feeder in the next year. Potatoes and carrots do not need so much nitrogen, so it is better to rotate with crops with higher nutritional requirements such as tomatoes and cucumbers.

Keep maps and notes from previous years to simplify this process. If you like to use stick labels, please consider coordinating their colors and matching them with different family groups to help crop rotation.

Note: Perennials and herbs do not need rotation.

Raised garden bed gardening

When planning a perfect backyard garden, don't underestimate garden bed gardening! It is not only an ideal choice for invasive plants such as mint and epazote, but also a good way to vertically or extend the garden to the terrace, deck or balcony. Vanilla, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables are very suitable for garden beds. They can be strategically placed within a few steps of the back door for easy access during cooking.

Plan on!

In some years, carrots and radishes may thrive, while in other years, your Brussels and pumpkin may have more luck. Seasonal change is a normal part of gardening, but we should track the repeated patterns. If your kale will never survive the heat of summer, please consider giving them more shade or planting them as autumn crops. If your plants fight pests, please use plant repellents such as chrysanthemum and sage. Celebrate your success and learn from your mistakes.