The Key to a Successful Garden
Updated: Sep 21
The key to a successful garden isn't just planting the right things. It is being consistent with the things that matter most—watering, weeding, feeding, and harvesting at the right time.
I've been gardening since I was tiny, and there is still something almost magical about putting a little seed into the ground and watching it grow into a large, food-producing plant. Over the years, I've learned that while there is always some work involved in gardening, good planning and preparation can make that work so much easier.
The easier I make things for myself, the more enjoyable my garden becomes—and the more likely I am to keep up with it throughout the growing season.
Start With a Plan
I've tried several different approaches to gardening over the years. When I had a smaller family and wasn't doing nearly as much canning, I really enjoyed growing in raised beds. But as my family and food-preservation needs have grown, I need much more production. Today, I garden in a 50-foot by 50-foot plot.
Before you begin, think about what you actually need from your garden. How much food do you want to grow? What crops do you use the most? Are you planning to preserve your harvest? Once you know what you need, determine how much space you'll need and then mark out your garden area.
I like to plan everything on graph paper before I ever set foot outside. It allows me to think through the placement of my rows, trellises, pathways, and crops before I start digging.
A little planning on paper can save a lot of work later.
Rototiller
Prepare the Soil
One of the first steps in preparing my garden is using a rototiller to work the soil.
This is also a great time to add the compost we have been collecting throughout the year. Working that organic matter into the soil helps improve the soil and gives the plants a better environment in which to establish their roots.
Good preparation at the beginning of the season makes everything that follows easier.
Make Weeding Easier
I'll admit it—I only like to weed the areas that I absolutely have to.
Weeding the aisles can add a tremendous amount of unnecessary work to a garden, so I try to eliminate as much of it as possible before the growing season even begins.
We use rows of 3ft wide, woven weed barrier down the center of each garden row. Most of my actual plant rows are only about 6 inches wide, which dramatically reduces the amount of space that needs to be weeded.
The woven weed barrier allows water to pass through, while keeping the surrounding soil covered. That means I only need to focus my attention on the space where the plants are actually growing.
Some crops need more room. For example, our corn rows are closer to 2 feet wide so that I can grow multiple rows of corn within that space.
I also use plenty of stakes to hold the weed barrier down. The wind loves to pick it up and move it around, so securing it well from the beginning saves frustration later.
Grow Up With Cattle Panel Trellises
One of my favorite ways to make better use of garden space is by growing vertically.
I really like using cattle panels as a trellis system. The amount of food you can produce in a given space increases significantly when you make use of the vertical space above the ground. It also keeps fruits off the soil and can help keep them farther away from some pests.
Some of the plants I've had good success growing on cattle-panel trellises include:
Melons
Cucumbers
Climbing beans
Peas
Squash
Some varieties will produce fruit that becomes too heavy for the vine to support on its own. When that happens, the fruit may need a little extra support from a platform or hammock.
What You'll Need
To build this trellis system, you'll need:
16-foot x 4-foot cattle panels
I place the T-posts approximately 8 feet apart and attach the cattle panel to them with wire.
Creating a Bean Arch
For climbing beans, I especially like making an arch. I plant beans on both sides so that they grow over the top, creating a beautiful green tunnel. Once the beans begin producing, the pods hang down from the top, making them wonderfully easy to see and pick.
To create the arch, I place two T-posts about 4 feet apart and mirror them on the other side. I then place the 4-foot end of the cattle panel against the first two T-posts and carefully bend the panel upward until the opposite end reaches the other two T-posts.
Mine creates an arch spanning about 4 feet.
This is definitely a job I recommend doing with another person. Cattle panels have a lot of spring in them when you bend them, so be careful while putting the arch together.
Once the plants begin growing, they need a little encouragement to find their way up the trellis. Every couple of days, I walk through the garden and guide the vines upward, weaving them into the fencing.
Once they reach the top, they generally take it from there.
Protect Young Plants From Garden Visitors
We have one additional gardening challenge: free-range ducks.
Our ducks are pretty good about leaving established plants alone, but they absolutely love tender, succulent seedlings.
Fortunately, I had some 1-foot-tall remnants of cattle panel left over from another project. I've found that placing these pieces around the garden provides just enough of a barrier to discourage the ducks from getting into the young plants.
Sometimes the simplest solution is the one that works.
Grow Herbs in Containers
I also keep some large pots along the edge of my garden for growing herbs.
There are quite a few herbs that can become invasive if they're planted directly in the garden. Growing them in containers allows me to enjoy them without giving them the opportunity to take over the garden.
It's a simple solution that keeps things much easier to manage.
Use Mulch to Reduce Garden Work
The final step in my garden preparation is bringing in a huge pile of wood chips to use as mulch.
We have a chipper and use it to process the branches we prune throughout the year. We also have a local landscaping company that drops off additional wood chips for us.
Wood chips make excellent mulch in our garden.
I spread about 2 inches of wood chips everywhere that isn't covered by a plant. I leave a little space around each plant rather than piling the mulch directly against the stem.
The mulch does several things at once. It helps reduce the amount of weeding I'll need to do later, helps the soil retain moisture, and eventually breaks down and becomes part of the soil.
At the end of the season, I can rototill the wood chips into the soil, adding organic matter that will benefit the garden the following year.
Make Your Garden Work for You
I've learned that a successful garden isn't necessarily about finding a way to eliminate all the work. There will always be watering, weeding, feeding, harvesting, and plenty of other things to do.
The trick is to set the garden up so that the work you have to do is manageable.
Think through your garden before you plant it. Plan your rows. Make use of vertical space. Keep weeds from taking over your pathways. Protect young plants. Mulch where you can. Choose methods that make sense for the amount of food you need to produce.
With a little forethought, careful planning, and preparation, a plentiful and enjoyable garden really is within reach.
And for me, that's one of the most rewarding parts of gardening—not just watching a tiny seed become a productive plant, but creating a garden that makes it possible to enjoy that process year after year.
If you are interested in learning a more intensive way of gardening with stellar results explore Mittleider Gardening.
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