Setting up your veggie patch

Not sure where to begin, here are some ideas and thoughts to consider as you create your own veggie patch

Location, Location, Location

Choose a sunny spot where possible to set up your veggie patch. Many fruit and veggies enjoy full sun to be able to grow to their full potential and give you great crops. The term full sun means to target around 8 hours a day of direct sunlight. If you have multiple spots that meet this criterion, targeting more the morning sun is beneficial to many plants to give them a break from harsh late afternoon Summer sun. Not all plants will require full sun though, so if your garden doesn't have a full sun location, growing plants that need less direct sun will be of benefit.

Access to water will also need to be factored in, does the location you are considering have access to water to be able to keep the plants hydrated. Carting one bucket of water to the garden may not be too strenuous however if you need to cart a large number of buckets per day, being able to access a tank or hose will help significantly.

Finally consider access from the house to the veggie patch, too far away and the veggie patch risks being forgotten about and not maintained, close to the house also allows for you to quickly pop out and grab that special ingredient as your prepare your meals.

Raised beds or in ground?

There is no right or wrong answer on the best garden bed style to have, they need to work best for both your site and your capabilities.

Raised beds work well where the ground is not suitable, this may be due to the location being on a gravel or rocky area, some unwanted nasties/chemicals in the soil, or poor drainage areas. They can be handy to help reduce the need for bending, bringing your garden to a more comfortable working height and also assisting in helping your soil to be warmer earlier in the growing season.

Growing direct in the ground can be much more forgiving with the plants being able to dig with their roots to chase water and nutrient supply that maybe further down. It can also help with growing taller plants that may become unreachable if grown in a raised bed.

Preparing the bed

Preparing the veggie patch is one of the most important steps to setting up your garden. The soil in your veggie patch will be what feeds your plants to give great growth, so the more you can do prior to planting to feed the soil, the more nutrients and food your plants will be able to take in after planting.

As a general rule for most plants the more balanced you can keep the soil the better, the best way to achieve this is adding lots of organic matter. One of the best things to utilise for this is great quality compost whether homemade or shop bought. Mixing in some well-aged manure into this will help give your plants a boost. Once these have been added to the garden cover with mulch to help lock the moisture and goodness in which will keep the worms and microbes active and will also keep the weeds at bay until you plant out your seedlings.

Preparing the beds a few weeks prior to planting will allow for them to settle and get the soil life active.