Starting A Veggie Patch
Unsure how to go about starting a veggie patch? Growing your own vegetables will bring so many advantages to your life, but if you’re here, you don’t need us to tell you that. Here at Quality Garden Supplies, we are huge advocates for growing your own food whenever you can. It has a big impact on the environment, on your mood, your wallet and your health, but we also do understand that approaching the world of gardening for the first time can be overwhelming. There are different jobs to do in the garden at different times of the year, so let’s get the lowdown on starting a veggie patch.
1. Best Location For a Veggie Patch
The first thing to consider when building your veggie patch is the position: pick a spot in your garden that is both protected from the wind and the frosts, but at the same time gets plenty of sun. Veggies like at least six hours of sunlight a day and good drainage (no one likes a soggy bottom!). Mounding up the soil or building a raised garden bed are a great way to improve the drainage in the soil.
As for the garden bed, a raised one will provide extra drainage thanks to the depth of the soil. The spot you pick in your garden should be flat, so your plants will receive equal amounts of water and sun. For this reason, if your garden is not naturally flat, it would be ideal to level it out by putting wood or flat stones as the base of the bed. Be sure to be aware of trees and big plants, and try to keep your veggie garden away from these.
The best size for a veggie patch is having a width of around 1200mm – this will allow you to reach the centre of the bed without stretching on stepping into the actual patch. If you have enough space for a couple of garden beds, remember to keep pathways between the beds so you can easily fit a wheelbarrow through.
Always aim to have your veggie patch close to the kitchen so it’s easy for you to pop out and get what you need.
Refer to New Small Garden by Noel Kingsbury for a great masterclass in planning out your garden and plants for small gardens and vertical gardening.
2. When is the Best Time To Plant a Veggie Patch?
The best time for planting or renovating an old veggie patch is Spring and Autumn. The soil temperature is perfect at these times of the year, it’s not too hot or too cold. Pay attention to the weather at these times and avoid planting in extreme heat, cold or wet weather.
If you are planting in an existing patch, let the last of the seasonal crops grow and clear them out once they are finished. Give the soil some TLC by working in some compost, worm castings and manure ready for planting. Alternatively, a green manure crop will do the job.
When it comes to gardening, Australia is split into five temperate zones:
- Tropical
- Sub Tropical
- Arid
- Warm Temperate
- Cold Temperate
We have guides on what to plant each month based on the temperate region where you live. You can check out our “What to Plant” guides at:
3. Crop Rotation in a Veggie Patch
Before you start planting in your veggie patch, it’s important to know that planting the same crop in the same spot will not give you the best return in the long run. Crops are split into four types groups:
- Root vegetables
- Legumes
- Brassicas
- Fruiting veggies
Each of these crops require different nutrients from the soil, attract different types of pests and disease. Planting the same crop in the same place will enable a build up crop related pests and disease problems. Crop rotation is based on replacing old crops with unrelated ones, divide your garden into four areas, or four separate garden crops. This way, you will be able to reduce diseases and nutrient deficiency. Here is an illustration on the best way to rotate your crops:
4. Pest Planning and Control
We’re not the only ones who like a good veggie patch – slugs and snails always seem to be around, especially in cool, moist conditions. They especially love new growth, so keep young seedlings covered overnight with a cloche.
Grubs and caterpillars can do a fair whack of damage to brassicas such cabbage and are easy to control with Yates Tomato and Vegetable Dust. You can also protect your veggies with netting to prevent butterflies laying their eggs.
For more information on identifying pests and how to control them, you can check out our guide How to Identify Garden Pests & Get Rid of Them.
5. Mulching and Feeding the Veggie Patch
Once your veggie garden is completed, you should take care of it by putting a thick layer of mulch on top of your soil, to discourage weeds and give more nutrients to your veggies. It will also preserve soil moisture and reduce temperature fluctuations.
As time passes, the mulch breaks down, adding organic structure to the soil. Be sure to feed every couple of weeks with a liquid fertiliser containing seaweed.
Don’t forget to check out our gardening tools, harvesting tools and soil nutrients! Your garden will thank you!
Additionally, click here to learn more about starting a veggie patch.
