Vegetable Planting Tips For Your Garden

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Learn the best vegetable planting tips to get your garden off to a great start. Protect your investment and enjoy a bountiful harvest with these expert strategies.

Gardening Is An Investment

Growing your plants or buying them from a garden centre is an investment of your time and money, which you certainly don’t want to see wasted.

It seems like spring is finally here to stay, and I have some planting tips for your garden to help keep your vegetables and herbs on track, healthy, and happy!

Waking up and seeing green grass makes me happy and eager to work outside! I will be ready to start planting my garden in just a few more weeks.

We began this series with my garden growing guide, which shared tips about starting a garden and preparing the soil.

Now it’s time to take it to the next level, and that’s ensuring you take the proper care of your vegetable garden.

Whether you are growing a garden bed or a container garden, there are a few things to keep in mind when planting your garden that will contribute to the overall success of your plants.

I hope to have my property ready for a raised vegetable garden next spring, so this year, it will be grown vertically and in containers.

Spacing Plants In Your Vegetable Garden

Why proper spacing is essential

You want to make sure that your plants have sufficient space to grow.

Check on the back of your seed packs; it will tell you the average height and width of that plant and how far apart it is from the plant.

The pot or cell pack tag will have this information if you buy your plants.

Crowded plants can grow into very spindly plants that may not produce vegetables.

It would be a shame to invest your time and money in preparing for your garden to end up with no vegetables.

Proper spacing also allows for good air circulation and maximum sun exposure.

Arranging the plants so the taller plants are on the north side of the garden will also ensure maximum sun exposure.

Companion Vegetable Planting

Many plants will benefit the growth of other plants. For example, there are a lot of insects that like to attack tomato plants.

Using companion plants could also be referred to as a natural approach to pest management, which can save you money on pesticides (if you choose to use them).

Planting some herbs such as basil and oregano that have a strong scent can help cover up the smell of the tomato plant, basically hiding the tomato plant from the dreaded pests.

Although not a vegetable, Marigolds are flowers that can help.

There are many combinations of companion plants, including beans and lettuce, carrots and tomatoes, and onions and carrots.

The Farmer’s Almanac has an extensive list of companion plants that can be a helpful guide when planning your planting arrangement.

For a change, I will plant my herbs this year using the hanging shoe organizer pictured above.

The hanging bag as a mini herb garden is widely used across North America.

I will also grow tomatoes in the popular Turvy containers, allowing stability for the plant.

The container tomatoes will be placed adjacent to the herbs.

As I write this, I realize time has crept up on me; where did April go?

So, I will be planting my onions and kohlrabi seeds as companions as well as seeds this weekend, with lettuce to be added later.

Now that you know where everything will go, it’s time to plant.

Preparing To Transplant Vegetable Plants

Taking plants out of cell packs, egg cartons, or whatever growing medium your plants are in can cause some stress to the plant, known as transplant shock.

You can minimize the stress by thoroughly watering them before you remove them.

I like to thoroughly water the day before planting; that way, the soil is good and wet but not drenched when you take it out.

Unless the plant is root-bound to the pot, gently loosening the soil around the roots is a good idea; disturbing the roots as little as possible can minimize the shock. 

If sowing seeds directly into the garden, placing a tag or stake stating what you’ve planted where will help you identify what is what as the seedlings start to emerge.

Staking Vegetable Plants

Plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and pole beans require some support to grow.

However, this is not the case if you use the hanging method for these plants.

Many products, such as trellis’ and cages, can be purchased.

You could also easily make something that would work, such as wood stakes and zip ties.

Though metal stakes would last longer than wooden ones, they work fine.

It doesn’t need anything fancy as long as the plants can be attached or trained to grow around it, similar to the pictures above.

Again, consider the maximum height of the variety of vegetables you are staking.

Depending on the variety, tomatoes can require stakes of 3- to 6 feet.

The main reason for staking is to keep the fruit/vegetable off the ground, which can cause them to rot, again a waste of your investment.

Weed Free Vegetable Garden Tips

In between rows, putting down materials such as mulch, straw, grass clippings, or even shredded newspaper, although somewhat messy, will help to keep down the growth of weeds.

Any weeds that make their home in your garden will compete with your vegetables for sun, nutrients, and water.

Preventing the growth of weeds and regular weeding will ensure that your plants are not losing out.

Regular cultivating of the soil between the plants and rows will help with weed control and loosen it up to allow for a better flow of water and nutrients.

Spending Less On Groceries By Growing Vegetables

Choosing to grow your vegetables and herbs can help free up some money for your budget towards other outdoor projects you might have.

If you enjoy crisp, tasty organic vegetables, learning to grow your favorite vegetables and herbs may help save some money in your grocery budget.

If you are a savvy shopper like me, you will know that organic vegetables can be a bit pricey at your local grocery store.

Whether you grew seedlings or purchased them using these vegetable planting tips for your garden will help keep your plants on schedule to be harvested in no time. 

Taking the proper steps to prepare, plant, and maintain your garden will ensure that you utilize this budget tool to its maximum potential and protect your investment.

Post Contribution: Katrina regularly contributes to Canadian Budget Binder and is as passionate about personal finance as gardening. Katrina is a horticulture graduate with over ten years of experience with landscaping and greenhouse production. 

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