Before You Plant: 3 Steps to Plan a Garden You'll Actually Enjoy
In most areas it's not quite time to go crazy with planting quite yet. Now—in late winter—is the perfect time for something equally important: Holistic Garden Planning.
This isn't about graph paper and crop rotation charts (though those have their place). Holistic planning means looking at your garden as part of your whole life—your schedule, energy levels, what brings you joy, and what causes stress. When you plan this way, your garden becomes a source of nourishment and delight, not another overwhelming to-do list.
Here's how to plan a garden that actually fits your life:
Consult Your Calendar
Do you have any big trips planned? Work commitments with tight deadlines? House projects like remodeling? Are you pregnant? If so, consider what will be happening in the garden at the time of those other responsibilities.
For example, if you’ve got a really busy late-summer into autumn, it might not be the year to plant tons of tomatoes to cook down into salsa and other sauces to can for the winter. That labor-intensive activity will need to happen right at the same time as those other engagements.
This doesn’t mean you can’t plant a garden, just that it will behoove you to choose crops and planting times that line up with the rest of your life.
Reflect on Last Year
If you gardened, think about how it went. If you didn’t garden, think about how much time and energy you had for tending to things around the house, cooking, and perhaps doing art or crafts.
If last year was overwhelming, maybe don’t plan on a huge garden this year. After all, if you’re reading this, you probably want to harvest more than just vegetables; you also want to enjoy the stress-relieving and heart-nourishing benefits of growing food plants, too. If you plant a giant garden and don’t have time to look after it, it’s more likely to cause stress than to relieve it.
If things felt spacious last year, and you’d like the challenge and satisfaction of a bigger plot this year, go for it!
If last year was just right, there’s no need to expand. Refinement and repetition are quite underrated in this growth-obsessed society!
Don’t forget that harvesting and cooking vegetables takes time, too. If you’re tight on time, one holistic choice can be to grow quick and easy crops that can go right from the garden to your plate, like salad greens, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.
Connect with your Joy
If you love having cookouts, choose crops that do well on the grill. If you’re delighted by flowers, make sure to prioritize growing some, even if that means less space for vegetables. If you want to nerd out on all the varieties of green beans you can get your hands on (and you enjoy pickling and preserving them), get a ton of seeds and give many kinds a try.
Don’t feel like you have to grow anything just because you can, or because other people around you grow or enjoy that vegetable. Again and again we’ve found that gardening is easier and more fun when we’re guided by our hearts and creativity, not just our desire to harvest food.
Natalie’s daughter enjoying homegrown tomato bounty! Photo by Sarah Tew
You are a Key to your Garden’s Success
The truth is, there's no 'right' size or style of garden—only what works for you, right now, in this season of your life. A small, well-tended garden that brings you joy will always outshine an ambitious plot that leaves you exhausted and resentful.
So before you order a gazillion seeds, or expect to fill the pantry to brimming, take a breath. Check in with yourself. Plan for the garden that will nourish all of you—not just your belly, but your heart and your schedule, too.
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