This is a step by step guide to help you identify where to grow vegetables at home even if you’re a total beginner. The location of your patch is the most important step whether you want to grow in pots, on the balcony or on the windowsill.
Whether you are a total beginner, or an experienced gardener. The most important decision you can make is where to locate your veg patch but it can be tricky to know the best way forward when it comes time to grow vegetables
This post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links.
This post will help you even if you just want to grow a few things on your balcony, in pots on the patio or in the ground there are 4 steps you need to consider.
What space do you have to grow vegetables in?
Firstly, look at the spaces you have, where you can squeeze in a few leaves, fruits or vegetables for example,
- have you got room in a windowbox,
- or have you have just taken an old shrub out of a raised bed which has given you a space to grow
- Maybe add a vertical pocket planter like ours to your walls
- Or maybe you plan to repurposed or buy a raised bed like this one and plop it down in the centre of your lawn.
- You can even grow indoors on windowsills or a dedicated hydroponic system link this
Now, draw out a rough plan on a piece of paper. You can get our free printable to help here.
Then spend some time looking at the next few factors and note their affects on the areas you want to grow vegetables in.
Monitor light levels to grow the best vegetables
Note the amount of direct sunlight these spots get each day. Most vegetables need a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day but some shade crops for example prefer mostly shaded areas. Noting the amount of light each area receives helps you match the right plants to the right place.
Plants like tomatoes, pumpkins, beans, and sweetcorn must have full sun as much as possible so placing these in the sunniest spot you have is so important.
Leafy veg like cabbage, sprouts or courgette don’t need strong sunlight and actually prefer partial shade so can be great to grow in the shade of something larger.
Be conscious of the shade taller plants create too and try to find a space that gives your plants space to grow without having to compete with plants around.
How will you water your growing vegetables?
After you have identified the spaces you want to grow in and monitored the levels in each space, the next thing you have to consider is how are you going to water your crops?
To have successful happy crops, they will need consistent watering.
When you have to water twice a day, it can be a complete chore when you have to lug watering cans up and down stairs or pull the hose each time.
Simple tips like filling milk jugs with water and leaving them near plants throughout the day so they’re ready (and warmed) when you need them can make a watering job easier than lugging 20 watering cans back and forth.
Try locating your growing space as close to your water source as possible or invest in a simple drip system.This is a set of fine tubes that once connected up, will slowly drip water to your plants, saving you a ton of time and effort.
Accessing your growing space when growing vegetables
Another thing to consider when choosing a location for your growing space is how easy it is get to and care for your vegetables.
If you have to move a lot of bins, tools or boxes on the patio to weed your plants or walk a mile to your plot at the end of the garden (I wish) its harder to keep up with your patch.
If you have the choice, try to site your growing space as close to your house as you can, the way you never forget to do something.
If it’s somewhere you can see it from your window, you can easily nip out to collect your veggies when you need them for dinner.Obviously if your gardening on a patio or balcony you kinda have this covered.
If you can think these 3 points through before you even start planting it will solve alot of issues before they become big problems and you can focus on enjoying amazing food.
Once your location is set and your ready to work out what to grow, head to this post on starting a small salad garden for your next steps
Remember to hit ‘comment’ and let us know where you want to grow your patch.
Remember to save this post so you can check it out later.
