A Free Garden Planning Template to Create the Perfect Garden
I don’t know about you, but I love spending time in the garden way more than being cooped inside the house! Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place and time for everything and every season. I love that winter forces us to slow down a bit and just enjoy and rest.
But, with all the winter blues and cold weather lingering, the hope of a spring garden and new life is sure to bring cheer to all! And this where garden planning comes to play!
HOW TO PLAN YOUR GARDEN
A wonderful way for the whole family to plan and dream of summer while still being cooped inside is starting to plan your garden for next year!
Winter is a great time to plan your garden beds for the new season. There are however a few things to keep in mind when starting.
Scroll down for various helpful links, a very resourceful garden template, and a fun activity the whole family can enjoy!
GETTING STARTED
Starting from scratch? My suggestion would be to start small. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Start with 1 garden bed and only plant things your family loves to eat.
Now is a great time to buy seeds for next year. THIS blog post will guide you in how to order your seeds online. And HERE is a fantastic guideline on seed starting basics.
Where do I order from? I have for years gotten most of my seeds from Bakers Creek Heirloom seeds. They have a great germination rate and have SO many varieties.
If you’re not up for starting with seeds, you can buy seedlings from the local nursery.
IDEAL GROWING CONDITIONS
I know we gardeners can easily get carried away! When starting as a newbie, or planting for a new season, we are overly excited and want to jump right in and grow everything!
Unfortunately, not all plants will grow as great as we have hoped for. Many factors will influence their growth, longevity, and overall health.
These include your hardiness zone, temperatures, sun exposure, diseases and pests prevalent in your garden, and perhaps the most important, your soil quality.
These two blog posts explain all you need to know for healthy, rich soil: Organic Soil Recipe and How to make nutrient-rich soil.
And this blog post has some more info on how to control pests in the garden naturally: Organic Pest Control in the Garden
GARDEN TEMPLATES
Once you have determined how you want to start (with seeds or seedlings) and determined your ideal growing conditions, you can plan your garden beds!
I collaborated with my friend at Axe and Root homestead to create these two beautiful FREE garden planning templates! I use them to plan my garden each year and I hope you can use them too!
This is one made for you to plan your garden beds in a more structured way! It’s made for an 8x4 garden bed and is divided out into squares so you can know where to plant things!
I have gone ahead and planned one bed. You can see it below! It’s got a bit of everything. I love variety and these are all easy to grow if you have no clue what to plant.
Tomatoes, peppers, herbs! Just from this garden bed, you’ll have ingredients to make salsa, pasta sauce, pesto, pizza, stuffed peppers, and more!
I hope this helps you plan! The Brandywine heirloom tomatoes are my absolute favorite to grow! They make the best tomato sandwiches!
If you are unsure of where to start HERE IS THE LIST I USED TO PLAN MY GARDEN BED WITH! ! You can simply click and order the specific plant varieties I order.
A- Green Peppers- Bullnose- CLICK HERE
B-Sage, Bergarrten ( great for cooking ) CLICK HERE ( this is for a tiny plant) Hard to find seeds
C- Bibb Lettuce, Butter King- CLICK HERE
D- Italian oregano, Vulgare. CLICK HERE
E- Cilantro- CLICK HERE
F-Orange Spice Jelapano - only a little spicy CLICK HERE
G- Pink Brandywine CLICK HERE
H- Yellow Brandywine CLICK HERE
I - Chives CLICK HERE
J- Lilac Bell Pepper- CLICK HERE
K- Basil, Genovese CLICK HERE
L- Marigold- African CLICK HERE
This is for the kids and for your artistic side! Bring out the crayons and watercolors, time to draw up whatever you want in your garden bed!
I had quite a fun time with some watercolor. If you print your template on cardstock it will even be better, as you can laminate and reuse it. And you can frame it too! Such a fun project for your little ones!
Ava sat on my lap and watched me draw flowers! She was quite entertained!
I hope these templates and guidelines will help you greatly when starting to plan your garden for next year!
I want to see you use them! If you do tag me @azurefarm and @axeandroothomestead so we can join in the excitement!
I’ve also got these GARDEN PLANNING PRINTABLES that will help you keep track of seedlings, crop production, harvest, and specific plant details. Nine pages to help you have a successful garden year-round!
Happy planning!
Love, Annette xx
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