Gardening For Beginners: Selecting A Location

When I started my journey of gardening I had never been around a garden. I wondered why have a garden?  I did not grow up around any type of gardening but I knew it was something I was interested in starting.  I am a self made gardener and taught myself by trial and error. I did and continue to do lots of reading, researching, and talking to other gardeners.  I was part of a Food Bank garden farm and would weekly pick up my share until one day I thought “I can do this”. Raising my children was at the top of my list however, I knew when they all left home I would need a hobby or new activity to fill my time and that is where it all started.

With a small amount of space, a few basic tools and supplies and the desire anyone can start a garden. I will say “home grown” vegetables, freshly harvested, prepared, and eaten are the ultimate in vegetable flavor. Plus you know exactly how your vegetables are grown.

Successful gardens are the result of a well thought out plan, management, and careful work.

The first step to promote a good growing garden in to select a location. The location is key as it will provide the adequate plant exposure to sunlight, fertile and well drained soil, a nearby source of water, (close to the house) and is appropriate to the overall landscape of the home.

Mapping the shade in your landscape is very useful in the design of your garden.  To be successful you have to know where you have sun and where you don’t. Mistake #1 is seeing sun and believing the area is sunny.  Mistake #2 is seeing shade and believing the area is shady.

Because you see sun or shade on a portion of your yard, does not mean the space in favorable to plants who require shade or sun to grow well.

The sun moves daily from east (sunrise) to west (sunset). The angle of the sun changes with seasons.

Simply put the sun is far higher in the summer than in the winter. Starting in the winter the solar sun altitude increases and continues through the spring and peaks in the summer then begins to decrease through autumn to its lowest point in the winter sky.

Understanding the two concepts above about the sun’s location will help you tremendously when you dive into your garden planning and how the sun will impact your garden.  If you have no trees, no house, and no other structures this concept will be enough. However, like myself, we have multiple trees (as do my neighbors), a house, and a work shed which all impact the shade which is cast on myspace.

Before I planned my garden I mapped my garden space and the shade which would impact my space.  The backyard where my garden area is located faces south. I drew a rough draft of my house and trees located in the backyard.  I would visually watch the shade patterns by checking the yard at 9am, noon, 3pm, and 6pm. I could then a good idea of the shade movement. This process is good for all types of gardening including flowers, fruit trees, vegetables, and shrubs.

Remember a few things as you interpret your rough map:

• The more objects the more shade.
• Shade moves clockwise.
• The denser the object the denser the shade. A house casts totally dense shade versus a tree with small leaves.
• Evergreens cast shade year round. (We have several evergreens and these cast continous shade.)
• Trees that lose their leaves cast a denser shade when those trees are leafless.

Now that you have mapped your yard, you can determine what goes where the if you have:

• Full sun – 6 plus hours
• Part sun – 4-5 hours of sun
• Part shade – 2-3 hours of sun
• Full shade – less than 1 hour of sun

Once you have established your garden in a good location you can now determine the size of a garden you would like to develop.  I started small although I have a large space. Starting small will help you feel success your first year of gardening. A large garden can get overwhelming to maintain and to care for properly. As you have success your first go around, the garden can grow in size if space allows.  If space is a issue container gardening or raised beds are an option but that is another topic in itself.

Tips for selecting a Garden Location

• Lots of sun.
• A gentle slope for sunlight and air movement.
• Some sort of windbreak.
• Good water drainage.
• Easy access to water for irrigation.
• As close to your home as possible.

You can have multiple vegetable garden plots around your yard matching the sun or shade conditions with the vegetable you are growing. The right location will determine how well your garden will prosper.

Updated on 1/9/20