Choose the Perfect Spot for Your Raised-Bed Kitchen Garden

In Episode 17 of the Grow Your Self Podcast, I'm reading you Chapter One of Kitchen Garden Revival.

You'll learn how to choose a location for your kitchen garden in this chapter. So, head here and listen in.

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How to Find the Perfect Raised Bed Kitchen Garden Spot

Listen in to Chapter One of Kitchen Garden Revival here on the Podcast

Let's start with a message for the perfectionists and overachievers...

Chapter One of Kitchen Garden Revival is Called...

SITE

Find the Perfect Kitchen Garden Spot

In this chapter, you face the challenging task of picking a site for your kitchen garden. 

Choosing your kitchen garden location can be a tough decision. 

It's one of the key tasks our garden coaches at Gardenary and my team at Rooted Garden do every day: we help clients make the choice between the left side of the backyard, the spot along the driveway, or the space next to the patio.

Choosing the location for your garden is tough for good reason—location means everything. In some cases, the decision may have already been made for you if you have only limited space, just a patio, or only one patch of ground that got sunlight. And for others you may have countless spaces where gardens could belong. In both scenarios, there’s more to the decision than you think.

Key Aspects

When Choosing the Perfect Spot for Your Kitchen Garden

First, let's note the four key aspects you should consider when choosing a spot for your kitchen garden.

-Sunlight exposure 

-Water exposure

-Convenience

-Aesthetics 

Sunlight

As much sunlight on your kitchen garden as possible—that’s the goal. Sounds simple, right? But getting hours of light in your garden throughout the year is difficult, especially if you live in the city.

Sunlight can be obstructed depending on large trees, houses, and even what side you’re able to plant your garden. No matter what side you’re on, the truth is that most of us live in cities and tight quarters and, sometimes the most light our garden can receive is significantly less than six hours. 

If this is the case for you, don’t stop reading. There are loads of edible plants that will grow in just a few hours of sunlight. In part two, you’ll learn how to plan your plants based on your sunlight hours.

If the spot you selected, or have available, receives less than four hours of sunlight per day in any season, you’ll need to prioritize growing greens in that spot, such as herbs and lettuces. If it receives four to six hours of sun per day, you can grow root vegetables, and if it receives more than six hours of sunlight per day, you can grow leaves, roots, and plenty of fruit. 

Now, let’s consider the second matter: water. 

Water Source 

After sunlight, the second item to prioritize for your kitchen garden is its proximity to a water source. Consistent water is key to your success. Nature’s water is best but also unpredictable. And most vegetables and fruit and plants thrive with water schedules they can rely upon. For this reason, think about the available water supply before choosing the site for your kitchen garden. 

If possible, place your garden near a spigot or a rain barrel or where you can easily connect to a formal irrigation system. 

Before moving on, mark all the spigots, rain barrels, or irrigation hookups in your home or yard on your garden map with a circle. 

Convenience 

It’s a kitchen garden, so it makes sense to have it as close to your kitchen as possible. Keeping the garden as close to the kitchen as possible will also ensure you get more use out of it. 

So on your kitchen garden map, mark the most accessible spots in your landscape with a square. 

Aesthetic

To avoid your kitchen garden becoming “awkward” in your space, follow these tips:

• Find a natural spot where the garden could fit in (i.e., side yard, along a fence, etc). 
• Look for an area where your garden could match some measurements of other pieces of your landscape (i.e., garden beds measure the height of your deck). 
• Third, plant where it will have friends to grow along with. If you’re just creating one box, add fruit trees, a birdbath, potted herbs, or something else to group alongside the garden. 

How to Weigh Each Aspect of Your Garden Location

My very scientific calculation has determined that exactly 60% of this decision should be based on sunlight; 20% on water accessibility; and the final 20% of the decision is split between convenience and aesthetics. 

It’s true. I did say there’s no such thing as a perfect spot for the kitchen garden, but there is a perfect formula. 

As you select your garden location, the goal is to find a location that matches the blueprint as closely as possible: 

• Receives six or more hours of sunlight per day
• Is near a water source
• Is located as close to the kitchen and your everyday activities as possible
• Ties in well to the rest of your landscape 
• Is able to accommodate the size necessary to hold the amount of vegetables and fruit you’d like to harvest

Each of these aspects should be considered, as they all matter. If you want to, make a blueprint of your property as you begin to design your garden.