Grow Smarter: An easy method for garden planning
As we look ahead to our 2025 garden layout, I wanted to share a method we’ve developed for planning and tracking our vegetable garden. We are hoping this approach will make it easier to organize our planting, maintain records, and ensure crop rotation year after year (where required). If you’re searching for a fresh way to plan your vegetable garden, this could be just what you need!
Why a New Approach to garden planning?
In the past, I relied on hand-drawn layouts for my garden. While this worked well for smaller spaces, it became cumbersome when trying to keep track of planting dates, crop successes, and failures. As I sat down to start planning our largest garden ever at First Crack Farm, it just didn’t seem to go smoothly on paper. We needed a system that allowed for scalability and ease of use. This is when Aja piped up and suggested Google Sheets.
Using Google Sheets for Garden Layout
We decided to transfer our garden planning into Google Sheets. This digital approach allows us to assign one cell for every linear foot of garden space. With fourteen rows measuring 50 feet each, we can easily map out our garden layout. Here’s how we’ve structured it:
- Each 50 foot row is a column labeled (R1, R2, etc.) and corresponds to the physical garden rows.
- The length of our beds is divided into sections, allowing us to specify what is planted in each foot of the row. This is represented by cells 1-50 down a separate column.
Example of Planting
For instance, we have already planted garlic for harvesting in 2025. In the plan we specify that the first 12 feet of the row is allocated to German Red garlic, German White, and Spanish Roja. I didn’t break this down by each exact foot because you don’t always know how many cloves of garlic will be in each head. Yet this method still helps in calculating how many plants to sow based on the space available.
Benefits of This System
This approach has several advantages:
- Easy Year-to-Year Transition: By duplicating the spreadsheet for each upcoming year, we can easily track what we planted, where, and what worked well.
- Comprehensive Notes: We can add notes regarding planting dates, harvest times, and any issues encountered, all in one place.
- Efficient Crop Rotation: This system facilitates crop rotation planning, which is crucial for maintaining soil health and preventing pest issues.
The more I follow Charles Dowding on Youtube, the more I am starting to question crop rotations. I don’t want to get into that here as I am no where near educated enough yet on this topic with regards to our property, soil health, and compost additions. However, if this somewhat controversial topic is of interest to you, I highly suggest starting with Charles Dowding’s Youtube Channel.
Why 50-Foot Rows?
We chose to work with 50-foot rows based on research that indicates this length is commonly used among market gardeners. It fits well within our overall property layout and future plans, and simplifies the process of quantifying seed requirements. Additionally, it allows for efficient use of planting tools and protective covers.
Succession Planting
Another advantage of this layout will be the ability to implement succession planting. For crops like beets, carrots, and lettuces, we can stagger planting every couple of weeks within the same row. This ensures a continuous harvest rather than everything ready to harvest at once.
Tracking Seeds and Inventory
To avoid overbuying seeds or forgetting what we have, we created a database within our Google Sheets. This inventory includes:
- Vegetable and flower types.
- Specific cultivars and their characteristics.
- Purchase details, including the year and company.
- Notes on crop performance, flavor, and whether we plan to buy more seeds.
Final Thoughts
I think this method of garden planning is going to transform how we approach our vegetable garden. It’s simple, scalable, and effective for tracking our progress and planning for the future. If you’re looking to streamline your garden management, consider trying out Google Sheets for your own garden layout.
Resources for Garden Planning Tools
If you’re interested in exploring a more commercial garden planning tool, here are some options:
- Garden Planner – A user-friendly tool for designing garden layouts.
- Vegetable Gardener’s Planner – Offers features for tracking planting dates and yields.
- Gardena Garden Planning App – A comprehensive app for garden planning and management.
We hope this method inspires you as you plan your own vegetable garden for the upcoming year. Happy gardening!