SUN
When deciding where to plant your vegetable garden, you must first follow the sun. Go to the sunniest part of your yard and pull out a compass – in order for your garden to flourish it needs at least six hours of direct sunlight each day! This is also important when considering where to place your plants, as taller plants should be placed on the north side of the garden to avoid casting shade on shorter plants.
WATER
Another essential is water – since your garden needs to be watered every day, it is helpful to have placed it near a water source, such as a hose or a simple drip irrigation system. The best time of the day to water is between 4:00-5:00 am, so if you’re not up for the early mornings you can use a drip irrigation system set to a timer. This will also help reduce water loss to evaporation on hot days, and problems with fungus from water droplets sitting on the leaves, as well as slugs from the soil being wet in the evening.
CONVENIENCE
While the initial planning of a garden is exciting, other activities can catch up with people and push garden care off the radar. To make sure your garden is getting the attention it deserves put it in a high-traffic area, such as near the back door. We like to switch things around a bit to get the ideal balance between convenience, beauty, and, most importantly, sun!