In gardening, you will need clear timing and planning to obtain the maximum result. Purpose: to take into account all the features of your foot plot, the need for certain vegetables, berries and fruits, and to try to provide the family with everything necessary.
Drawing up a plan-scheme of a food plot
Where to start planning a food plot? We have two main tasks: to draw up a site plan and decide on the set and amount of the crop that we want to get from it.
- To begin with, you should measure the area that will be allocated for planting in your personal plot or summer cottage;
- Next, you should transfer our measurements to paper, indicating where the irrigation source is;
- In the absence of a garden, the whole vegetable garden can be used for the beds, but if there are trees, the places that will be shaded should be marked on the plan.
Special attention will be paid to them.
Deciding what vegetables to grow
Now we need to decide how many vegetables we want to grow on our plot. If you do not remember how much and what your family stores for the year, approximate amounts can be calculated, given that the annual consumption rate by one person
- potatoes – 120 kg;
- carrots, onions, cucumbers and beets – 10 kg each;
- cabbage – 35-55 kg;
- tomatoes – 25 kg;
- eggplant and pepper – 2-5 kg.
On the other hand, we take into account that from one square meter of the garden, under favorable conditions, you can collect:
- early potatoes – 1.5 kg;
- late potatoes – up to 3.5 kg;
- cabbage, depending on the variety – 2-5 kg;
- onions – 2.5 kg;
- cucumbers – 2-3 kg;
- pepper, eggplant and tomatoes – 3 kg;
- carrots and beets – 3-5 kg.
Now, based on the number of people in the family, you can decide how much area of the garden should be allocated for each of the crops.
It may well turn out that the amount of land in your summer cottage or plot will not be enough to plant everything you need. Here you will have to decide which vegetables to leave and which to buy in the market or in the store.
- You should also bear in mind that individual beds may not be allocated for dill, lettuce and radish – you can simply sow them in the aisle of cabbage or carrots;
- Curly legumes can be planted near supports, preferably on the north side, so that they do not obscure other crops;
- Beets and turnips can be sown on both sides of a bed full of potatoes.
Irrigation scheduling
In addition, we will decide on watering. If it is not possible to water the entire garden or it is very laborious, then it is better to plant seedlings and crops that love water near a water source. More lighted and warmer places on the site should be allocated to heat-loving plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melons.
On the north side, to protect the garden from cold winds, you can plant rows of corn or sunflower.
On beds shaded by trees or buildings, you can plant unpretentious crops, for example, onions or sorrel.
It is also possible to plant early crops, which will have time to grow before the leaves fully bloom on the trees and give a thick shade.
Using these simple tips, you can save some areas of your food plot. After we have drawn the site plan and decided on the required area for each crop, we will proceed directly to the placement of the beds.
Planning the timing of planting plants, their compatibility
Continuing planning for future planting on the site, you should take into account such a factor as crop compatibility. For instance:
- next to potatoes, you can safely plant onions, cabbage and corn, but tomatoes and cucumbers are bad neighbors;
- beets, onions or lettuce will become a good neighbor for cabbage, but planting beans or tomatoes next to it is undesirable;
- the most unpretentious are eggplants, corn and radish.
If you have been planting beds for more than a year, the principle of alternation should also be taken into account when distributing crops. You must remember that the plant should grow in one place no more than once every three to four years. The only exceptions are beans, tomatoes, potatoes.
The basic principle of alternation is that after plants with a deep root system, crops with a shallow root system should be planted. Simply put – you need to alternate the roots and tops.
Separately, it must be said about onions and garlic. After these two crops, you can plant everything, but it is not recommended to plant them in the same place for several years in a row.
And now, taking into account all of the above, you can take on the direct breakdown of the beds and planning the landing.
Food plot layout in the country
If you want to please your family with berries and fruits in addition to vegetables harvested from your garden, it’s time to think about the layout of the garden. It is worth starting with the same thing with which we began planning the garden – with the choice of those trees and bushes, the fruits of which we want to see on our table. It is better to choose those crops for which your climate zone is most suitable.
When laying a garden on the site, fruit bushes and trees should be planted from the north side, so they will not shade the beds from the sun’s rays and at the same time protect your crop from cold winds. To get the maximum yield from your garden, it is also worth considering the need for sunlight from various trees when planting. So:
- apricot is the most thermophilic;
- apricot is followed by cherry, pear, apple;
- cherries and plums are the most undemanding to the illumination.
To make the most of the sunlight, trees can be planted in a staggered manner.
When drawing up a food plot plan, you must also take into account that the distance between trees for normal growth and fruiting is 4-5 meters between trees and 5-8 meters between rows.
Like vegetable crops, trees and shrubs also have compatible and incompatible neighbors. So, you should not plant black currants near the cherry. And cherry will be a bad neighbor to the apple and pear. Another key to the productivity of your food plot will be planting several varieties of trees or shrubs nearby with the same ripening period.