Where To Put A Garden: How To Choose The Location Of A Vegetable Garden

Several Vegetable Gardens
garden beds
(Image credit: curtoicurto)

You have bitten the bullet. You are going to do it. The only question is exactly what the location of a vegetable garden will be in your yard. Choosing a garden location can seem complicated. How much sun? What kind of soil? How much room? Don't panic. It isn't hard to pick a spot for a vegetable garden as long as you keep a few things in mind.

Tips for Where to Put a Garden

Convenience

The position of a vegetable garden should first and foremost be chosen for convenience. After all, a vegetable garden is for your enjoyment. If you have to walk ten minutes to the location of a vegetable garden, chances are greatly reduced that your spot for a vegetable garden will be weeded and watered as much as it should, and you may miss out on harvesting regularly.

Sun

Another thing to consider when choosing a garden location is how much sun that spot gets. Typically, vegetables need at least six hours of sun, though eight hours is better. Don't fuss so much about if the spot for a vegetable garden gets morning or afternoon sun, just check to make sure it gets six hours total of sun.

Drainage

Plants can't grow in waterlogged soil. The position of a vegetable garden should be somewhat elevated. If the location of a vegetable garden is at the bottom of a hill or in an indentation in the ground, it will have a hard time drying out and the plants will suffer.

Toxic locations

This shouldn't be a factor for most people when choosing a garden location, but avoid areas where dangerous chemicals, like lead paint or oil, may have leached into the ground. These chemicals will get into your vegetables as they grow.

Soil

Soil isn't as much a factor in where to put a garden as you might think. If you're down to two spots and you are undecided as to which would be best, choose the location with the loamier soil. Otherwise, all soils can be improved and if the soil is very bad, you can build raised beds. Now you know a little bit more about where to put a garden in your yard. If you follow these few tips for choosing the position of a vegetable garden, it will be easy. Remember, the location of a vegetable garden is not as important as having fun while tending it.

Heather Rhoades
Founder of Gardening Know How

Heather Rhoades founded Gardening Know How in 2007. She holds degrees from Cleveland State University and Northern Kentucky University. She is an avid gardener with a passion for community, and is a recipient of the Master Gardeners of Ohio Lifetime Achievement Award.