How to Choose Vegetables to Plant in Your Garden

Inside this post - How to decide what to grow in your garden; Plus planning your best vegetable garden layout and the easiest vegetables to grow. 

For a beginner gardener, it can be challenging to know where to start or how to decide what to grow in your garden. From vegetables to flowers to how to create a vegetable garden layout, there’s a lot to consider!

In this post, we will go through the best plants for your vegetable garden, the easiest vegetables to grow if you’re just starting out and I’ll give you my professional tips for creating the best garden layout for your space.

Deciding what to grow in your garden

When you are deciding what vegetables to grow in your garden, several factors should be considered, like amount of light, heat and water, as well as soil conditions that the location of your garden space can provide. You also want to think about what you eat and what you want to grow for fun or experimentally.

Grow What You Eat. Eat What You Grow.

A major consideration in deciding which vegetables to grow is taking a look at what you eat. That’s not to say that you should (or can) plant and grow all the vegetables you eat, but it is great starting point.

If you eat a lot of salads, grow lettuces, mustards, and other greens! Love cauliflower? Give it a try! If you want to eat all the tomatoes, put them on the list! Once you have an idea (or an actual list) of vegetables you eat and might want to grow, you need to take a look at a few other factors when choosing those veggies and their varieties or cultivars.

Deciding what vegetables to plant based on your climate and hardiness Zone

It helps to have an idea of how long the growing season is where we garden. By taking a look at the average frost-free days, you can get a better idea of whether you can grow something in our climate. Victoria, British Columbia, where I live, has 211 frost-free days, according to the Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals site, which provides some flexibility with varieties that have many ‘days to maturity’.

You also need to consider the extent and timing of heat or coolness in our growing areas. Generally, spring and fall are cooler and better times for growing cool season crops, like greens, whereas the middle of the summer is great for those hot season crops like peppers and eggplant.

Plant hardiness zone maps are a resource that can be used to understand generally what plants will grow and survive where you live. Plant hardiness zones in Canada are determined by a formula that considers factors like temperature, rainfall, and snow depth, which is influenced by latitude and altitude. In Victoria, B.C., where I garden, the plant hardiness zone is 8b, which means I can grow plants like rosemary outdoors year-round.

Considerations for growing crops in your garden

How much space do you have for growing? A balcony and containers, a side yard garden, or a large field? Some vegetables take up a lot of space! Melons, squashes, and pumpkins can sprawl over a huge area. Options, like trellises, can help, but space needed is something to consider.

Also, look at how large the harvest might be compared to how much space the plants will cover in the garden. Will it be worth it to use the space for something for the amount that could be harvested and used? The first year I gardened on Vancouver Island, I grew black beans and the plants took up a lot of space in my small plot and produced 250 mL (one cup) of beans! I now choose to grow other vegetables that provide a higher ratio of food to space occupied in my garden.

Consider growing something new and different for fun

It’s great fun to try out something new and different in the garden. Some gardeners try new or odd vegetables, varieties, or cultivars every year.

One year I was looking for a special melon, citron melon, to recreate an old family recipe, and I found the seeds in Nova Scotia at Annapolis Seeds. I checked out their seeds online and thought, why not try out something new. So, I ordered the citron melons, blacktail mountain watermelons, and Inca berries. I will definitely grow those again!

Let me know if you have other factors that you consider when choosing which vegetables to grow in your garden! If you would like some help choosing your seeds, send me a message! I'd love to hear from you!