A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Need MAJOR help on mapping out...

Well, I went out this afternoon, and decided to map out the area of my veggie garden... it's much different than last year, so I'm not sure where to put anything... It's not much space, but it's about all I've got.. . here's a pic of what I mapped out:


you should be able to read most of the measurements.. but the one on the left of the black dot, reads 3.5 feet...

Everything to the left of the dotted line gets only morning sun..the big black dot is a tree, which I'm not allowed to touch..

I want to plant:

[lots of] tomatoes
cukes
radishes
carrots
[2 or 3]peas
[3 or 4]peppers
lettuce
and possibly eggplant...

Now, the hard part: where should I put everything?

Any ideas?

Thanks a lot!

--Mark--

Mark,
If anything will make it in your shady spot, it will be the cukes. They lose water through their leaves and can resent being out in too much sun. You can plant your radishes among your tomatoes since the radishes will be out long before the tomatoes get much size to them. Other than that, if this is the same spot you used last year, make sure you rotate all your crops to minimize the danger of soil borne disease and insects.

I've heard that "carrots love tomatoes"...not sure what that means, but maybe someone here does!

"Carrots Love Tomatoes" is a real good reference book on companion planting for vegetables. Some veggies benefit each other while others can actually cause problems for each other. I have a copy of the book but you can find info on companion planting by running a search for it.

That means they are good companion plants..
They go well together..
and one doesn't set off *or give bad reactions* to the other..

The carrots will do good, while the tomoto plants are little, and by the time the tomatoes
start towering over them, they should be good startin' time to pick...

Mark, have you done a FORUM SEARCH of here, and look up COMPANION planting/plants..
That way, with a smaller garden, things can grow together in smaller spaces...

Thanks a lot, everyone for the ideas


--Mark--

Hi Mark,

See if this makes sense to you.

make two plots. one with 3.5ft wide x 12ft long. the other 3.5ft wide by about 6ft long or less.

allow 2ft walkway between plots.

caged/staked tomatoes and caged/trellised peas should be planted in the northside of each plot.

plant the tomatoes on the right plot [3.5ft x 12ft]; divide this plot evenly [about 3 ft sections] and plant:
tomatoes-->lettuce-->eggplants-->peppers--> carrots & radishes.

on the other plot, plant the caged/trellised peas, then the cukes.

the purpose in planting the taller vegetables in the northside is to prevent them from shading the other plants as the sun moves from east to west.

As suggested by other members, you can do companion planting with other vegetables & herbs and flowering plants as well.

plant carrots and radish at the same time. Radish matures early before it crowds the carrots. You can plant onions next to peppers. Lettuce is shade tolerant and can be planted next to tomatoes.