Home decoration is incomplete without vegetable gardens. For a few reasons, starting a contemporary vegetable garden idea for 2023 makes sense. First, home improvement is healthier for you and tastes better. It promotes serenity because you can plant and harvest your fresh produce, and it’s healthier because you can grow things organically. Growing your own is simpler than you might think, whether you want tomatoes that are flavorful or fresh chilies to give your food a kick.
The trick is to grow various crops in small quantities that offer large rewards if space is limited. Choose low-maintenance produce, such as compact tomatoes, salad leaves that can be cut and reused, chilies, dwarf varieties of French beans, leafy greens, and chilies.
No matter your garden size, you can fit pots that will last you months.
Nobody should be prevented from including a vegetable garden in their garden plans. Whether you have a large yard or a small balcony, are an experienced gardener, or are a complete novice, these vegetable garden ideas will help you realize your dreams of “growing your own.”
We are all looking for vegetable garden ideas and the simplest vegetables to grow, thanks to the resurging interest in “grow your own.”
What Layout Should My Vegetable Garden Have?
For a traditional vegetable garden, arrange your garden by establishing a series of borders—whether raised, in the ground, or in pots—separated by paths. Draw ideas from how to design a garden to serve as the framework for your plot, and then curate the layout according to the vegetables you want to grow.
It can be beneficial to mix plantings unless specific crops require special protection, as a large area of one crop attracts pests, and a mix of various edibles and ornamentals confuses them. Leigh Clapp suggests sketching out the design on paper before marking it out or planting it.
Tall vegetables, like corn, should be planted on the north side of in-ground gardens to avoid shading out smaller plants. Amy Enfield, a horticulturist for Bonnie Plants, advises planting small plants (carrots, lettuce, radishes) on the south side of the garden and medium-sized plants (tomatoes, peppers, cabbage) in the center of the garden (opens in new tab).
Top Vegetable Garden Ideas For 2023 You Must Know
Choose Vegetables You Love
Selecting the vegetables you want to grow is the first step in creating your vegetable garden ideas. Your vegetable garden’s design and aesthetic will be guided by this. Growing what you enjoy eating is the best way to choose your crop.
List your favorite foods, including herbs, and consider those that cost more. Include a variety of vegetables you like, then narrow your choice by paying close attention to your space and climate, suggests Leigh Clapp, a garden expert for Period Living. Finally, plan your decisions so that you will have harvests at all times of the year, from the first potato crops to brassicas in the winter.
Choose A Greenhouse With Many Purposes
To start as many seedlings as you like without the difficulty of predicting the frost or worrying about where they will live, greenhouse ideas are an essential component of the vegetable garden. The advantages are not limited to the beginning of the growing season, either. Even an unheated greenhouse can postpone the effects of frost by a few weeks, allowing you to increase crop yields by picking fresh tomatoes well into the fall, for example.
However, you will unavoidably need to compromise when designing a greenhouse for your small vegetable garden ideas; the most typical one is between a shed and a greenhouse. Both have advantages, but frequently the storage capacity of a shed will be more useful than the botanical advantages of a conservatory. However, it is not required to be that way. Consider a design combining a greenhouse, and other shed ideas if you’re having trouble deciding between them. This is a clever, compact solution for smaller spaces because the shed here allows you to store all your gardening tools out of sight, and the adjacent lean-to greenhouse gives you plenty of room to raise your crops.
Advance Vertical Height By Using Hanging Baskets
The best plants for hanging baskets aren’t just those that trail in the wind; they can also be used to grow various vegetables, which will help your small vegetable garden ideas be more productive.
They take up no ground space and offer a flexible growing platform for various vegetables. They work especially well for cut-and-come-again lettuce, rocket, and spinach, but they can also be used to grow tomatoes or as ideas for herb planters. In addition, since the vegetables are raised above the ground, slugs, snails, rabbits, and other animals that could destroy your crops if grown at ground level cannot access them, which increases yields.
Start Small With Your Vegetable Garden
You don’t need to convert half of your garden to add a few vegetable garden ideas to your plot. To get your bearings, start with simple vegetable garden designs that only include one or two plants. For example, tomatoes can be grown in containers and take up almost no space on your patio ideas, making them a popular choice for beginners.
“A climbing bean would be my only vegetable if I had to pick just one. They are easy to grow and provide weeks’ worth of delectable produce throughout the summer. According to Marylyn Abbott, owner and founder of West Green House Garden and an author of gardening books, “I like to plant a variety of colored pods, including yellow “Monte Gusto,” purple “Carminat,” and green “Monte Cristo.”
Avoid Pergolas And Grow Vegetables
When planning your small vegetable garden ideas, consider using vertical gardens. They can also be used to support vegetable vines, though. The best flowering climbers or rambling roses are traditionally the best options for training over a pergola. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and beans are the best vegetables to grow with your pergola plans because they need a support system to grow.
Growing your crops vertically will help you make the most of your space while protecting them from pests like slugs and other insects. They are also simpler to maintain. According to Lindsey Hyland, the founder of UrbanOrganic Yield, it is simpler to reach the fruit as it grows when vegetables are grown over a pergola. Since the plant’s roots are confined to a much smaller surface area, you’ll also use less water in your garden.
Learning how to grow cucumbers vertically is a great place to start if you’re wondering how to grow vegetables over a pergola.
Access Ideas For Companion Plantation
Traditional vegetable garden designs separate the crops from the flowerbeds; however, this isn’t always the best strategy for increasing yield.
Instead, mixing flowers into your crop is a wonderful way to practice companion planting, and if you choose to grow flowers that draw bees, it will help to increase the number of pollinators in your crops.
In A Window Box, Create A Small Vegetable Garden
Ideas for window and planter boxes should consider the environmental conditions at your window and be best suited for low-growing edibles from your kitchen garden, such as herbs and salad leaves.
Try planting mint varieties, scattering strawberries with parsley, or creating a one-stop salad garden with microgreens, salad leaves, chives, basil, and edible flowers.
