Part 1 in our Planning How Much to Grow Series
A short series offering guidance on getting the best yield from your garden space.
“How much should I plant?” is a natural question—and one with no universal answer. Your garden depends on what you like to eat, your climate, and how much time and space you have to tend it. But asking the question is the first step toward a rewarding harvest.
Let’s explore some thoughtful ways to decide what to plant, when to plant it, and how to shape your season around your needs.
Planning what to plant is as straightforward or as complicated as you would like, but the best garden is the one you’ll eat, or share the produce from. Start by thinking about:
Then, check how well they’ll grow in your climate and space. While many plants can grow outside their native range with some care, be mindful of maintenance requirements such as water, sunlight, and temperature. This is a balancing act, and it’s essential to understand how these factors will affect your yields and how much time you’ll spend caring for them.
You don’t have to grow everything—just a few crops you’ll be happy to eat every week. Consider adding one or two new-to-you varieties for fun or flavor variety.
Remember to rotate crops in your garden. This keeps the soil nutrients balanced and reduces the spread of disease.
Next, assess your available planting space and calculate how much you can grow. The Planter app can help you design your garden, show companion plants in the plant information section, and show compatibility on the main garden planning view. Begin by deciding on your must-haves. Maybe tomatoes or a selection of herbs are at the top of your list. Starting with large plants is also helpful, as smaller ones can easily fit into gaps between plantings.
Using the Planter app, you can easily log notes, track planting dates, and map out your garden layout. Some features, like plant notes (garden-wide notes are available to everyone), are available to Planter Premium subscribers. However, the free version still offers plenty of tools to help you plan a healthy, vibrant garden.
Start with your frost dates—you’ll find your average last frost in spring and first frost in fall using tools like the Planter app or your local extension office’s website. This will help you:
Also note maturation times. If something takes 100 days to mature, you’ll need to get it started early enough to finish before cold weather returns.
Additionally, consider when your plants are ready to harvest. For example, you might plant carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce, which could all mature in the same week, leaving you with a lot of produce. Staggering your plantings or choosing a mix of varieties can spread out harvest time, giving you more time to enjoy your produce or prepare it for canning without feeling overwhelmed.
Mapping out your garden is very helpful. Identify dry areas and wet areas, sunny areas and shaded areas. Many plants are forgiving of their growing environment, while others wilt with a little too much sun, or wither if they get too much shade.
You should also consider testing your soil. The most accurate test is to take soil samples to your local extension office (many will allow you to mail them in). Costs vary by your region; however, they give detailed results that can help you plan appropriate amendments for your garden.
Not every seed you plant will grow, and not every plant will make it to maturity. Some seed packets have thinning instructions - lettuce, for example - to account for loss, while others do not. As a general guideline, most gardeners get an 80-85% success rate on their plants, although this varies by plant variety and growing location. Some plants are known to be fickle. Cauliflower, for example, needs a long, cooler growing season, and carrots are very particular about their soil.
As a general rule, the less plants are disturbed, the better. It’s disheartening when your carefully raised seedlings collapse just a few days after they’re moved into the main bed. Acclimating plants can minimize this. By keeping your indoor starts outside for a week (or a little more) before planting, you help the plant adjust to the windy, drier conditions outside in a process called hardening off.
(Read more about it here)
To illustrate the principles I’ll discuss in this series of articles, I’ll use two garden beds I designed on Planter (multiple gardens is a premium feature). The first is a 3x6 ft bed that serves as my ‘main’ garden bed. In this bed, I use different techniques to increase my harvest, from succession planting to staggered planting. I have four iterations of this planned out in the same bed plan, to remind me how it will change through the growing season. The second is my tomato bed, where I use different varieties to extend the harvest window.
Planning your garden is an art of imagination and attention. The more you align your choices with your actual habits—and let yourself adjust with the season—the more satisfying it becomes.
In the next article, we’ll look at how succession planting and variety selection can help you grow more with less space and effort.