What To Consider When Choosing a Location For Your Garden

When selecting the location of your garden, there are so many things to consider. You should be mindful of where your garden is, no matter if this is your first garden or not. Things to keep in mind can range from the amount of sunlight your space gets each day to how you plan to get water to your plants. I will outline some of the basic things you will need to consider to help you make your garden as successful as possible. 

Sunlight is key

One of the most important things to consider is the amount of sunlight your chosen space will receive throughout the day. Most vegetables and flowers need at least six hours of full sunlight a day to thrive. Some plants, such as lettuce and spinach, can tolerate partial shade, but most prefer a sunny location.

 If you have already chosen a spot for your garden I would suggest you determine how many hours of sunlight that space gets. This can consist of going outside during the day, once an hour, and noting whether or not there is full sun in the space. You can also purchase something like this handy sunlight calculator to make the process easier. Once you have an idea of how many hours of sunlight your chosen space gets a day you can determine whether it will work for what you want to plant.   

Am I Going To Do It Or Not?

Once you know whether your future garden spot has enough sun for your chosen plants, you have to decide if this place is convenient for you. Not only should it be convenient to get to on a daily basis, but worth the effort to build a garden in this space. It may make more sense to choose a location that will take less work and effort to get started. You are more likely to keep up with it if you find success with a smaller garden and grow as you gain experience. Choosing a convenient location will make it more likely you will be in the garden more often. This makes it more likely you will notice problems as they arise, and more likely you will be able to fix these problems in a timely manner. 

They’ve Got To Have Water

Your garden is going to need water to survive and thrive. So, one important factor to consider is how accessible your garden is to water. The simplest way to do this is to make sure the location you choose is close to a water source, allowing you to reach it with a hose or watering can. You can also get an irrigation system to water the garden for you. If you are handy there are many types of irrigation systems such as sprinklers (above and below ground), soaker hoses, drip irrigation, and buried reservoirs. No matter the method you choose, your plants will need a steady source of water throughout their lifetime. 

Now that you’ve got access to water in your garden, you will at least need to consider whether or not your garden drains well or not. You don’t want water to consistently pool in your garden after every rain, or even to get washed away as the water runs off. 

The Magic’s In The Soil

As stated in previous posts, It's important to get to know your soil. Not all soil is created equal, and understanding the type of soil you have will help you choose the right plants and gardening techniques. Typically what you want is to have what is called loam soil. Loam soil consists of roughly 40% sand, roughly 40% silt, and roughly 20% clay. For the most part your yard, where your garden bed will likely be, will need some amendment to reach this exact consistency. You can purchase loam soil, but this can be pricey. Doing this naturally is not something that can be done overnight, but will happen gradually. You will want to add organic material to your garden each season, depending on the condition it currently is in. This encourages natural soil organisms to transform your soil over time.  

You can also test your soil's pH level, which measures how acidic or alkaline it is. Most plants prefer a pH level between 6 and 7, but some plants prefer more acidic soil. You can purchase a soil test kit at your local garden center or online.

So Much To Consider

There are so many things to go into choosing the right place for your garden, and getting the right spot picked can make all the difference. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but the things I have personally dealt with when setting up my garden. Other things could be nearby structures and how they will effect your garden, the traffic through the area you have chosen (people or animals), or even how level the area is. As always, this is all a learning experience and you are bound to make mistakes. Just keep at it and have fun!