A huge part of gardening is trial and error. Seeing what grows best in your climate, finding the best location within your garden for things to thrive and generally finding what layout works best for you.

I wanted to talk about some of the things I wish I did differently when planning out my garden. 

When planning a garden there is so much to consider, will it get adequate sunlight year round, is it going to be protected from harsh winds, is it close to a water supply, is it convenient enough for me to get to it from the kitchen, what infrastructure should you use if anything at all. Raised beds. In ground. There are just so many things to consider.

Not levelling the base

I wish I had invested more time in levelling the site before I began. Even though I didn’t do everything all at once, I had a general idea of what I wanted to achieve, so I could have started by really focusing on levelling the site and laying a base that would keep the level. I spent a lot of time moving dirt by hand to try and level the area, with a toddler nearby making muddy puddles, it was a gradual, painstaking process and not exactly an effective way to do it. It has just made putting in any beds a pain to get level and you can now see the uneven levels if you look closely.

Considering the flow of pathways

I wish I thought more about pathways. I did make a path for wheelbarrows to access all garden beds but what I didn’t consider was flow when it comes to getting around the garden. In our back garden we have a long bed in between our garden beds. I use it to attract beneficial insects and birds. I love this little beneficial garden that breaks up the veggie patch but I do wish I had made a straight path through to the other end, perhaps two small beds that had a path through the middle would have worked just as well. 

Making beds too wide

Garden beds that are too wide are really annoying to work in. I prefer gardens where I can reach all the way to the other side from one side, so I don’t have to walk all the way around to get to plants within the bed. I find that beds under 1 metre wide are the ideal width, I feel like any beds that are even that little bit wider are just that little bit too far to reach. Perhaps if I had longer arms It wouldn't be such a problem.

Not considering trees on neighbouring properties

I’ve spoken a bit about this lately and it’s not considering trees in neighbouring properties and the effects that they would have on my garden. The main thing I was thinking about was shade I had no idea that the tree roots would reach in and leach my garden beds of moisture and nutrients. If I had known they would have had such an impact on my garden I would have totally reconsidered where I placed my garden. We’ve worked around the problem and we’re slowing converting the garden beds to wicking beds but it has made growing in this area quite challenging for the past few years.

Putting gardens up against fences

I regret putting garden beds right up against the fence. I love how they frame the space but they seem to be safe havens for rodents who love to build their nests between the beds and the fence, If I did it again it would be just a space where I would put moveable containers. The rail on the bottom of the fence seems to act as a rodent freeway, I find it hard it hard to get climbers to grow which was the intention of building up close to the fence utilising the structure to put trellises, but as the plants grow new shoots just get nibbled off as they appear to be perfect height. 

I’d love to know if you have any regrets or things you’d do differently with your vegetable garden. Leave a comment and let me know.

If you need help with your layout and determining the best position for your garden come join us in Dirt Lovers.