Use this step by step guide to plan for your next garden.

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Step 1. Brainstorm vegetables that
your family likes
Tips:
• Think about what your family eats
• What vegetables do you spend a lot of money on at the grocery
store?
• What vegetables would be fun for your family? (ex. Pumpkins)

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Vegetable brainstorming
What veggies do you and your family like to
eat?
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Vegetable brainstorming
What veggies do you and your family like to
eat?
____lettuce_____________
______greenpeppers_____
________carrots_________
__________celery________
____________brocolli_____
______________corn_____
________________peas___
__________________cucu
mbers________________p
otatos__________________
_zucchini_______________
___squash______________
____
____greenbeans_________
______tomatos__________
________carrots_________
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Step 2 Decide what to plant and
when to plant
Tips:
• If you are starting on your first garden or only have a small
plot start by focusing on only a few vegetables
• Check out your area in the farmers almanac for planting
information
– Find a listing of common vegetables that can be grown in your
area and when to plant them
– Find out what your average last frost date is. This gives you a
baseline to make sure that you don’t plant anything outside
before this date.
• Decide how you want to obtain and grow your plants
– Do you want to start them by seed
– Do you want to buy a seedlings?
– Do you want to start them indoors?
– Do you want to plant them directly outdoors?

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What do you want to plant
Vegetable Do you want to
plant a seed or
plants?
Date to plant
seeds
indoors
Date to plant in
seeds/plants
outdoors
Average last frost date for your area: _______________________

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What do you want to plant
Vegetable Do you want to
plant a seed or
plant?
Date to plant
seeds
indoors
Date to plant in
seeds/plants
outdoors
Broccoli Buy plants Apr 30- May 21
Carrots Seeds April 16-30
Cucumbers Seeds Apr 23- 30 Jun 4-25
Lettuce Buy plants May 7-Jun 4
Peas Seeds Apr 9-30
Green peppers Buy plants Jun 4-25
Potato Buy tubers May 14-Jun 4
Squash Seeds Apr 23- May 7 June 4-25
Tomatoes Buy plants May 28-Jun 18
Average last frost date for your area: __May
21_____________________
Why do I buy some plants and some
seeds? I only have space to plant a
few trays of seeds in my basement,
so I usually pick the few that I have
been most successful with in the
past. There are also a few that I buy
seeds and just plant them directly
into the ground.

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Step #3 Plan your garden plot
Tips:
• Choose a plot of land to put your garden before planning it
• Make sure to take into account moisture and sunlight levels
• Decide how many of each plant you would like to have, but be
flexible if one dies or you have a few extra of a different plant
• Think about how much space each plant will need to grow
• You can put companion plants next to each other to provide benefits
to both plants
• Different plants need different amounts of nutrients in the soil.
Rotate your vegetables around in your garden each year so that a
certain plant doesn’t take all of the nutrients out of a certain area.

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Garden diagram

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Garden diagramTomato
Potat
o
Zucchini
Spaghetti
squash
YellowSquash
GreenPeppers
Broccoli
Lettuce
Carrots
Carrots
Peas
Lima beansCucumber
This is a rough estimate of what I’m planning for my garden next year. It varies
because I might loose a few plants at the beginning of the season or
sometimes I will buy a value pack of a particular plant.

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Step # 4 Figure out what supplies
you will need
Tips:
• Think about whether you would like to plant you garden in the
ground or in a raised bed. Take ascetics, soil quality, and water
drainage into account.
• If you compost throughout the year, you do not need to buy fertilizer
• Remember that a lot of these are one time costs that you can use
each year
• Think about what you are planning to plant. Some plants like
tomatoes need stakes or cages to keep them upright. Some plants
like peas can be bought in either bush varieties or more varieties
that need supports.
• Think about local wildlife. You may need to invest in fencing if you
have a lot of deer or rabbits in your area that will eat your plants and
produce.
• Click on the text links to find basic supplies and seeds
Amanda insert
affiliate links!

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Garden supply list
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Garden supply list
___seeds_______________
_____stakes____________
_______hose____________
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I have been
planting a
garden for
years now so I
don’t need as
much in
supplies as
someone
starting out.