Thinking about last year...

vegetable garden plot- will divide into 6

 So, in thinking about this year's vegetable garden, there are some things to consider.  How much time and energy do I want to invest this year?  Do I want to spend it putting up vegetables?  Or do I just want enough to eat fresh and freeze a bit?  How much space do I have to work with?  Or is doing a few pots of tomatoes enough for me?  What vegetables, fruits and herbs do I use a lot?  Do I have a spot that receives around 6 hours of sun each day?

green tomatoes forming

If this is your first time vegetable gardening, starting small is the best way to get a feel for it without overwhelming you.  Tomatoes and bean beans are very easy.  You could have a pot of each.  Or you could have an 'Italian" pot of a tomato, basil and chives.  The easiest tomatoes are the cherry, grape or pear tomatoes.  They seem to produce no matter what.  Just remember, plants in pots will dry out faster, so keep checking them.

My 9 plot sketch for year 1

 Last year I had 9- 4x4 plots that I had worked, adding some sand, Nature's Helper and cow manure, because after 4 years, it still needs help breaking up the clay soil. (If you want to save some work, choose to make raised beds, filling with topsoil.)   I choose the vegetables and fruits I use most in cooking and eating:   Carrots, peas & lettuce, Tomatoes, peppers, green beans, onion, garlic, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, butternut squash and strawberries.  (I have an herb plot besides, where I planted basil, oregano, chives, rosemary and cilantro.)  I found information about crop rotation in Jeff Cox's Greatest Garden Ideas.  He suggested making a simple drawing of the beds and label it Year 1.  Then, make another drawing, moving everything over one bed: Year 2 plan.  Having a 2 year rotation schedule helps a)keep diseases and insects from taking over in that spot and b)from depleting the soil of the same nutrients.  I found out that tomatoes are a heavy feeder and need to replenish the nitrogen in that spot...So this year I am on the Year 2 plan.  So, we will see how much difference that makes. 

bush beans

I also came across some information about French Intensive planting.  This was awesome!  Normally I would put everything in spaced-out rows, but I was always fighting to keep the weeds under control and the soil from drying out.  In French Intensive planting, you pack the square with plants so there is no room for weeds to grow.  And it really made a difference.  I had to make sure things were watered & fed enough, but the weeds were much more minimal, and the more top growth shaded the ground keeping it from baking so badly. 

So, how do you want your vegetable garden to grow?  There really are all kinds of ways to garden.  Try some things, evaluate what worked and what didn't and adjust your plan.  Just by doing it, you will find over time what works for you and your plot.  Have fun planning!