by Jessica A. Tucker

Created on: December 19, 2010   Last Updated: January 05, 2011

Choosing which vegetables to grow in your garden, or better yet, which vegetables will grow in your garden, for some can be an overwhelming task. Beans, peas, carrots, spinach, radishes and peppers are only a few of the yummy treats that come to mind when thinking about planning a new vegetable garden. Before thinking about what vegies to grow in your garden though, there are several factors that must be first considered.  The growing environment or zone, the location of the garden, and the amount of space available in your garden are all very important environmental factors to first think about.  The most important idea of all though is what vegetables are consumed on a regular basis in your household and which of these vegetables can be preserved for the cold months of the year?

Growing zone

Before choosing which vegetables to grow in your garden it is very important to first consider the growing Zone of your garden. Temperatures, humidity, length of growing season, altitude, soil composition, and weather all play a vital part in your selection of what vegetables to grow. Growing Zones vary with geographical location and more information pertaining to your garden should be available at your local gardening store. 

Location of your garden

The location of your garden and environmental factors that may come into play throughout the growing season is another important factor to consider when choosing which vegetables to grow. If your garden spends the day in the heat of the full sun you will be more successful growing plants that do best in hot conditions. If your garden is slightly shaded by a tree or building, then plants meant for a more shaded location will, of course, do better. Also, for gardens that have been built against a wall and are in high sun exposure area, the color of that wall can be very important. Most do not realize the heat and reflection that can come off of a white wall in the middle of a sunny day. This constant, full exposure to heat can stunt, or even fry, the hardiest of plants by burning the delicate flowers or fruits and drying out the soil and roots.

Growing space

How much space is available in your garden? This is an important question to ask when choosing which vegetables to grow as some plants are best not grown together, where some can be grown very well together in the same space, and other plants require more space, like melons, pumpkins, and other vines varieties of vegetables.  Drawing out a map for your garden is a great to utilize all the space and get the most our of your vegetable garden, large or small. 

Eating your garden

Most importantly, if you are going to spend the time, money and energy growing a vegetable garden, you may first want to make sure that what you are growing will go to use.  If you do not plan on using the fresh vegetables or preserving them for the winter, why grow them?  Before planning what to plant, consider what fresh produce is used in your kitchen on a regular basis, what you might use more if you had it, and what you may want to can, freeze or dry, and preserve for those cold months of the year.  In the case that you end up with extra, fresh vegetables can always be shared with other family and friends or even donated to local soup kitchens, churches, schools, or charity organizations with mouths to feed.

Taking all these factors into consideration, choosing the right vegetables to grow in your garden is vital to the success of a healthy and bountiful harvest. 

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