Effective garden design depends on a few easy steps. Many factors influence good garden design and the most important is observation. Observing the sun, water, animals, drainage, slope, microclimates, and landscape structures influence where garden beds can go. Consider how you garden, along with those factors, and you’re on your way to garden design success.
This is the first video in the “Easy Garden Design” video series.
18 Comments
Good luck with new adventure.
Excellent video. Congratulations on your new home and exciting new garden adventure ahead of you. I'm looking forward to the transformation of your new space.
3 years in my new home, started gardening this year after 30 years gardening in full sun at my old house. I'm gardening in dappled shade, strong morning and evening sun only. Come late fall the trees will lose their leaves and give me the light I'll need. Houston. So glad I waited and watched! Great video, can't wait to see you start.
Nice place, Scott. What growing zone is it?
Congrats on your new adventure and thanks for some sage advice.
Thank you!
Sunlight is an ever-changing factor in the garden. We have a tree that was a stick, now it is 30 feet tall and provides shade over things that require sunlight to grow well!
Bob Ross of the gardeing world!
I too just bought a new house.
In zone 1 near the house is a paved driveway. Convenient as I may need to use a wheelchair in the future.
So I will garden along the driveway. ThIs will provide : food, nectar, shade for the car, and house. ( The trellis will cover the driveway. Additionally the shade will reduce the need for air conditioning), and access for wheelchair, if needed, provided by the paved drive way.
I can get out of the car then pick food on the way into the house.
Getting access, food and shade. Plus some nectar for my bees. All from a small raised bed garden.
Cheers
Discovered you lately and watching some of your older videos. My father always had a garden going, same with my Grandmother. So I learned quite a bit from him. Regarding North vs. South – during the growing season wouldn't you want an unobstructed North since the sun is more north during the Spring and Summer months? I have 1/3 of an acre, backyard is angled SE'ish. Put my garden on the western edge so it would get the morning sun as early as possible. Unfortunately eastern edge on the other side of the property line is lined with pine trees – and they have gotten quite tall. I have now lost about an hour to 1.5 hours of sunlight. Midafternoon the shade from the fence starts moving from the western line eastwards. The western half of the garden is where I grow plants that like cooler temps like lettuce, spinach, chard, cauliflower, etc. Eastern half has the plants that like the heat such as tomatoes, corn, beans.
In the process of converting to raised beds now – can't get on my knees to do the weeding anymore thanks to arthritis in my knee. I like your idea of using feed bins that you talked about in one of your later videos.
I enjoy the videos. Learning some stuff too – you can teach an old gardener new tricks. 🙂
I just found you last week, I have been binge watching. I live in zone 6b, Ohio. Is there such a thing as too much sun for a vegetable garden for my area?
I moved into my country dream home last year. I have waited, watched and observed my home, light, wildlife for a year. I have adjusted my garden plans a dozen times in the last 12 months. I have even made plans for the following year in case my 1st plans do not work. Looking forward to the season and following along with you.
Thankyou . For this short series 1 2 and 3 I love it thank you
Just found this episode…well done!
I live in Massachusetts. Have about a half acre maybe more of freshly excavated (1 yr) horse coral that was left to the elements and became the forest again.
Trees removed etc.. open blank canvas.
Overwhelmed with what to start with…but my question is I have heavy weeds coming in through the yard.. what is the best way to control such a large space and begin getting my soil correct?
I was thinking chipdrop and covering everything in 10 in of wood chips.
Thoughts?
Love the channel.
I started watching your recent videos, so it's nice to see this one and catch a glimpse of how your garden looked in the beginning. I'm in a similar situation, recently bought a house, planning a garden. I have my beds already, jut not assembled. I have less options than you for a veg garden, basically one 25'x35' space that is exposed along the east to west path of the sun. It gets about 8 hours in the center of that space, maybe 6-7 on either end. There are a lot of fruit trees around the perimeter that cast morning and afternoon shade, a small orchard's worth, so the total space contributing to food production is much larger. I would prefer a more exposed location, but the sun is so strong here in Louisiana, plus the ability to grow all year, so I think my production over a year will still be robust. I could always cut some of those trees down to increase sun exposure and expand the veg garden.
Thank You Gardener Scott..💚👍🌿
I noticed your shirt, my oldest child is Autistic. He’s 18. We have come very close to moving to Colorado due to the services offered there versus where we live on the Gulf Coast. Great videos. Glad I found your channel!
Great practical information. Thank you.
Videos like this will save me years and years of issues. Thank you so much